Aggied

A little update. I saw my GP today, he has had the result of my visual field test and said that I can resume driving. I have let my insurance company know and they are happy to continue to insure me and my premium hasn't been increased. I am feeling relieved and happy. X

I appreciate singing Win. My sister drove me to the hospital on Saturday and was sitting next to me as I waited to see the doctor. I was so nervous I felt like crying and uncharacteristically said yes when Hilary asked if she should sing. I roared laughing when she gave me her rendition of "I Can See Clearly Now the Clot Has Gone". I felt it was the first time I'd laughed since my diagnosis. Singing is always good Win. X

Thanks Tina and Louise. I am very relieved. I hope my experience may help other people to feel less stressed immediately after having a stroke. I found very few positive examples when I was looking for information. X

Well I have an update after my hospital appointment on Saturday. I had a full eye examination including a visual field test. The doctor said that I have definitely had a stroke, she didn't agree with the optician who tested me last week. The good news is that on the evidence of the visual field test the doctor believes that I am safe to drive. There is an area of sight loss but it is on the bottom of the left hand side. Nowhere near the centre and below the horizontal mid-point. The optician said she will write a report for my GP and it will be up to my GP to decide if I need to tell the DVLA about the stroke. The hospital doctor said that she will write to my GP to tell her that I have been discharged but said that the DVLA MAY want me to do an Esterman test but I am not to worry because I will meet the standard for driving set by the DVLA. So I am still confused but expect to know more after speaking to my GP. Anyway I found BTG when I was looking for some hope that vision can improve in some cases. From my Internet searches the prospects seemed very bleak. I found the information on the site very interesting and some things, like the on-line testing link posted by Hoofbeat, were invaluable. I was made to feel very welcome by members even though I am completely new to forums and posted in the wrong places ha ha. Thanks to Win and everyone else who makes BTG a great help. X

Okay I admit it, I am lousy at waiting for anything. I ordered a book for my sister for Christmas and gave it to her in September. I have an appointment for a vision assessment at the hospital on Saturday but today I had an eye test at my local optician. The good news is that I haven't had a stroke. I have damaged the optic nerve in my left eye and have some loss of sight in the left inferior quadrant. The sight in my right eye is fine but I missed two squares on the bottom left line of the grid. The optician will write a report but it is up to my GP to decide if the DVLA should be told so they can send me for an Esterman test. The optician thinks I would meet the required standard but it will take time to have the test and get a decision. Has anyone else been in this position and has advice on what I should say to my GP?

Thanks Win, cake sounds good. I visited the sight Hoofbeat suggested and completed the sight test nine times. I got the same result every time, I missed the stimulus in three of the squares on the bottom left side of the grid. I read an article about the DVLA requirements for driving and if I understand it you have to see along a line that is horizontal and a circle centred on the fixation point. My loss appears to be well away from this area. I have been getting on with life as usual apart from the driving and I am doing fine. I haven't bumped into anything, tripped over anything, stepped in anything nasty. I have managed to find everything in the supermarket and the fridge and I have no problem reading or seeing the TV. when travelling in the car everything seems perfectly normal, the bit I can't see clearly is the glovebox. I can see the road and cyclists at junctions perfectly. I had a job interview on Thursday, my first one since qualifying as a social worker in September. I will need to be able to drive to get there. Keep your fingers crossed I get the job and pass the assessment. I am feeling very hopeful. X

Thanks WinB, I am driving myself mad worrying about the visual assessment I am due to have on 7th November. I know that there is a patch missing on my lower left hand side but I do have some vision there. I suppose I will just have to wait and see.

Thanks Tina. I am finding it all very confusing but hearing that I am not the only person this has happened to makes me feel better. X

Hi, On 1st October I noticed that I couldn't see my left hand reflected in the bathroom mirror. On 2nd October I had it checked at my local hospital and was told that I had had a stroke. Nothing showed up on a head CT so they have put it down to a clot rather than a bleed. A doctor told me to look at her nose, wiggled her fingers and told me that I have a homonymous quadrantanopia. I have an appointment for a visual assessment at the hospital on November 7th and I have been told not to drive for a month. Nobody has actually explained what a quadrantanopia is and I am very confused. When I look straight ahead and wiggle my fingers I can see them, not as clearly as on my right side but I can definitely see the movement. I can see the cushions next to me and when I walk past parked cars I can make out the headlights and handles but I can't see the tyres. I haven't driven but I have traveled as a front seat passenger daily since my stroke and I am not aware of being unable to see anything that I should be able to see to drive safely. I have been told by the stroke consultant that I have been very lucky, apart from the effect on my sight I have no other symptoms and I may still be able to drive depending on the results of the assessment. Has anyone else been in a similar position?