Health eMinutes

Improving Vision: Retraining the Brain

A specialized computer that retrains the brain and helps improve vision is now offering hope for individuals experiencing vision loss after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. The North Memorial Stroke Center now offers this new program called NovaVision.

For individuals with damaged vision, everyday chores may become more difficult, such as reading, walking, driving and other daily tasks. Doctors are now finding success in new treatment for these patients using a computer program called "NovaVision" Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT). North Memorial's Stroke Center is the first stroke center to offer this technology in the Midwest.

VRT is performed in the home. Patients sit in front of a monitor, focusing their eyes on a dot as stimuli appear around it. Patients press a keyboard button to respond to geometric shapes that move in patterns across the screen.

Clinical studies have shown that over 65 percent of patients who completed VRT experienced vision improvements that enhanced their quality of life. To learn more about VRT, contact North Memorial's Stroke Center at (763) 520-5900.