After a stroke or brain injury, some vision changes develop gradually and may go unnoticed during recovery. Visual field deficits can affect daily activities in subtle ways, from difficulty navigating crowded spaces to challenges with reading or driving. Comprehensive visual field testing has not traditionally been part of routine post-stroke evaluations. As a result, some patients remain unaware that their vision has changed.
Online visual field screening tools offer a convenient way for patients to check for potential vision changes between clinical appointments. These screening tools serve as a starting point for conversations with healthcare providers rather than replacing professional evaluation.
What Online Visual Field Screening Provides
An online visual field screening test offered by NovaVision can flag potential concerns that may merit further evaluation. The test presents visual stimuli in different areas of your visual field while you maintain focus on a central point. Your responses help create a basic map of which areas you can detect stimuli and which areas show reduced or inconsistent detection.
This type of screening differs from comprehensive visual field testing performed in clinical settings. Professional testing uses calibrated equipment, controlled lighting conditions, and produces detailed diagnostic information. Online screening provides a general indication of possible changes but cannot replace the thoroughness of an in-person examination.
The value of online screening lies in accessibility. Patients can complete a test when concerns arise without waiting for an appointment, and results can help guide conversations with their healthcare team about whether more comprehensive testing is needed.
Preparing for Your Test
The NovaVision test runs on your home computer and typically takes 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Before beginning, create an appropriate testing environment by choosing a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted and dimming the room lighting to reduce glare. Position yourself at the recommended distance from your screen, which varies based on your monitor size.
You’ll use both eyes during the test rather than testing each eye separately. Make sure you’re comfortable in your chair. If you wear corrective lenses for distance vision, keep them on. The program will typically offer a practice session before the actual test begins.
During the Test
NovaVision’s online vision test centers on maintaining focus on a fixed point on the screen while responding to stimuli in your peripheral vision. The program tracks which stimuli you respond to and which you miss, building a picture of your visual field sensitivity. You’ll keep your eyes focused on the central point throughout the test rather than searching the screen for stimuli.
The program uses a simple response mechanism, requiring you to press a key when you detect a stimulus or when a central fixation point changes. NovaVision’s online screening tools include accessibility features such as adjustable text sizes for instructions, audio narration of directions, or the ability to pause between sections. If you have difficulty reading on-screen text, look for these options before starting your test.
To ensure your comfort and the best possible test results, it is recommended that you take a practice test at least once. In clinical settings, professional tests often present multiple stimuli in the same location to distinguish between actual field loss and momentary inattention.
Understanding Your Results
After completing the NovaVision test, you’ll receive results that typically include a visual representation of your responses, which might appear as a map showing areas where you detected stimuli and areas where detection was inconsistent or absent.
These results serve as informational tools rather than diagnostic conclusions. They can reveal patterns that suggest further evaluation would be worthwhile, but they cannot definitively identify the cause or extent of any vision changes. Variables like screen calibration, lighting conditions, fatigue, and attention span all influence online test results in ways that controlled clinical testing minimizes.
The most productive use of screening results is to share them with your healthcare provider. Bring the results to your next appointment or send them to your doctor along with any vision concerns you’ve noticed. Your provider can determine whether comprehensive visual field testing or other assessments would be appropriate.
Important Considerations
Online screening tools have inherent limitations. They cannot account for individual differences in monitor quality, screen brightness, ambient lighting, or viewing distance as precisely as clinical equipment. These factors make online screening useful for identifying potential concerns but insufficient for reaching medical conclusions.
Normal screening results don’t rule out vision problems, especially if you’re experiencing symptoms in daily life. If your screening suggests possible visual field changes, that’s a prompt to seek professional evaluation, not a diagnosis. Trust your experience and discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider, regardless of screening outcomes. NovaVision offers its online visual field screening as an accessible first step for patients who want to better understand potential vision changes after stroke or brain injury.
Next Steps
If you’re considering online visual field screening, discuss it with your healthcare provider first. They can advise whether screening makes sense given your medical history and current symptoms.
For patients who have completed screening and received concerning results, the next step is typically to schedule a comprehensive eye examination or consultation with a neuro-ophthalmologist. These specialists can perform detailed testing and recommend appropriate interventions if needed.
Online visual field screening represents one tool among many for monitoring vision health after stroke or brain injury. Used appropriately as part of broader healthcare engagement rather than as a substitute for professional evaluation, it can help patients and providers identify issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
