How to correct Depth Perception Post Stroke
When I was in Stroke Rehab, I had severe Left Side Neglect. It was so bad that I would wheel past the cafeteria, if it was on my Left side. My nurse placed a huge sign on my room door, or on the glass next to my room door that read GUY'S ROOM, and somehow, I would still miss it. I would also crash into doors with my wheelchair, because my depth perception was way off.
To correct my depth perception while in Rehab, my Physical Therapist, placed scotch tape directly across the center of my glasses. I pulled the tape off, on the first day, because it irritated me. Several days later I asked my PT about why they didn't put the tape back on my glasses. She informed me that if I was going to take it off, why bother put it back on.
Jane informed me, that I had become non-compliant. Everyone was there to help me, but if I refused to help myself, in reality, there was nothing they could do for me. I had to want to recover, more then anyone else.
It sank in, so I asked them to put the tape back on my glasses and promised that I would not take it off again. By placing tape, directly across the center of my glasses, it forced me to look over the tape. One day while having the tape on my glasses, this happened.
Toronto Rehab, is located in downtown Toronto on University Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Toronto. One day, I wanted to go to Tim Horton's for a coffee, so Jane wheeled me out of Rehab to a Tim Horton's located on University Avenue. Here I was in my wheelchair, looking through the glass counter at all the doughnuts on display, while Jane ordered our coffee. After I selected my doughnut, and Jane got the coffee, we found a table, to enjoy my first Tim Horton's Coffee and doughnut, sine my Stroke.
Then I realized something. I looked at Jane and said "I cannot believe that I am here in downtown Toronto, in a wheelchair, with tape across my glasses".
Jane simply looked at me and replied, "you do realize that you have a helmet on your head, don't you"? We howled in laughter. Jane always found a way to make me laugh.
Miraculously, within a couple of days, my centerline or depth perception corrected itself. Who knew?
It was a Game Changer for me. Thank you Nina Hovanec, my PT, and Toronto Rehab for that trick!!