When a stroke leads to vision loss, everyday tasks can suddenly feel harder. You might find yourself bumping into things, struggling to find things, or feeling worn out from reading.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and there are ways to make daily life a little easier.
Who can help you make the most of your vision?
A low vision optometrist specializes in helping a person use the vision they have more effectively. They can assess your vision and recommend strategies—like scanning techniques—or tools, such as prisms or magnifiers, to support you.
Dr. Sanbrita Mondal shares what a low vision optometrist does in the Hadley Presents episode Low Vision Specialists.
To find one, ask your eye doctor for a referral. You can also use:
- The Vision Council Foundation’s Low Vision Prescriber Network
- The International Academy of Low Vision Specialists’ “Find a low vision doctor” tool
In the meantime, Hadley offers the following tips for everyday issues that you can try right away.
What can help when light bothers me after my stroke?
Light sensitivity is common after a stroke.
Small changes can help. Using window shades to soften sunlight or lamp shades to direct light away from your eyes can reduce glare. Hadley’s free workshop Glare presents these suggestions and more.
You might also find dark mode helpful to make screens easier on your eyes. Hadley offers step-by-step tutorials on how to use dark mode on your phone or computer:
- iPhone/iPad Low Vision: Turning on Dark Mode
- Android Low Vision: Color Inversion
- Windows Low Vision: Color (Windows 10)
- Mac Low Vision: Choosing Color, Contrast, and Size
How can I stop bumping into things after vision loss from a stroke?
Bumping into things is a common, frustrating experience after a stroke.
One helpful step is to make your environment more predictable. Keeping walkways clear, avoiding low or sharp-edged furniture, and making sure items stay in the same place can reduce unexpected obstacles. Even small changes, like improving lighting or adding contrast, can make objects easier to notice.
Hadley’s free workshop Making Your Home Low Vision Friendly walks you through these tips.
There are also techniques that can help protect you as you move. Hadley’s workshop Protecting Yourself from Bumping into Things offers two helpful techniques.
How can I avoid falls with vision loss?
Falls are a real concern after vision loss—but small changes can help here, too.
Improving lighting, adding contrast (like marking stairs), and keeping walkways clear can help you better judge where you’re stepping. It also helps to pause when moving between bright and dim spaces, giving your eyes time to adjust.
These simple steps can make moving around feel safer and more predictable.
Hadley’s workshop Preventing Falls and the blog post Vision Loss and Fall Prevention: 5 Home Changes offers these tips and more.
What can I do when it’s hard to find dropped items with vision loss?
It’s common to misplace or drop things when vision changes—but there are ways to make finding them easier.
One helpful strategy is to pause and listen. Often, you can hear where something lands. From there, search a small area at a time rather than reaching or moving around too quickly.
This approach can make the search more manageable and less frustrating.
Hadley’s workshop Finding Things You’ve Dropped walks you through simple search techniques step-by-step.
What can I try to make reading easier after a stroke?
Reading can feel especially frustrating after vision loss—but many people find ways to keep it part of their lives.
One place to start is adjusting your lighting. A bright, focused light placed directly on what you’re reading can make words clearer and reduce eye strain.
It can also help to stay open to trying different approaches. What works for one person may not work for another. Sometimes the biggest shift is finding a new way to read: using a magnifier, trying a free audiobook service, using an AI app on your phone, and other options. Hadley’s free workshop series Reading with Vision Loss explores some options. And in the Hadley Presents episode Reading After Vision Loss, different people with vision loss share the tools and services that helped them read again.
Coping with vision loss
Vision loss after a stroke is not just a practical adjustment, it can also be emotional. If you’re feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start, that’s a natural response to real change.
You don’t have to figure this out on your own. Hadley’s Donahoe Center for Support offers support, community, and resources to help you adjust and move forward.
You can reach out at 800-323-4238.
If you have other questions about stroke and vision loss, please share them with us.
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