Often a stroke causes double vision, blurred vision or partial blindness. Sometimes people cannot see anything on the right or left (hemianopia), which can lead to difficulty with balance, co-ordination or recognising familiar things or people.
This is what happened to me …
As I lay in bed in the Stroke Unit, I tried to make sense of my surroundings, though my thought processes were very slow and I could not really see on the right-hand side.
I spent long hours counting the number of beds opposite. I thought I knew there were three of them, but I wasn’t certain. Also the number of electrical sockets and over-bed lamps opposite varied. Sometimes there were two – or three – or four – or many. Sometimes I couldn’t tell how far away they were, because they hovered in the air. Similarly, the ‘get-well’ cards of the patient opposite got jumbled up in my head and people appeared out of nowhere. It was all very puzzling.
Neither could I make sense of the ceiling or the curtains. For instance, I thought the ceiling tiles must be square or rectangular but the lines that I thought should be parallel kept shifting and overlapping, receding and coming closer.
I could not speak so I could not ask about any of this.
Stroke Unit - Electrical sockets 2 (detail) (2008), graphite on paper
The number of sockets did not seem to match the number of beds opposite mine. I could see four - or five - or two. Sometimes re-arranged themselves and sometimes they overlapped and appeared to float. I knew they shouldn’t do that but I couldn’t peg them down.
Stroke Unit - Lamps - detail 3 (2009), charcoal on paper
The number of sockets did not seem to match the number of beds opposite mine. I could see four - or five - or two. Sometimes re-arranged themselves and sometimes they overlapped and appeared to float. I knew they shouldn’t do that but I couldn’t peg them down.
Stroke Unit - Electrical sockets 1 (2008), graphite on paper
The number of sockets did not seem to match the number of beds opposite mine. I could see four - or five - or two. Sometimes re-arranged themselves and sometimes they overlapped and appeared to float. I knew they shouldn’t do that but I couldn’t peg them down.
Stroke Unit - Lamps - detail 5 (2009), charcoal on paper
Stroke Unit - Lamps - detail 10 (2009), charcoal on paper
Stroke Unit Lamps - (2009), charcoal on paper
I thought there were three beds opposite mine and I spent ages trying to match the lamps to beds. I thought there must be one lamp per bed but the number kept changing.
Stroke Unit - Lamps - detail 4 (2009), charcoal on paper
Stroke Unit - Curtains mixed media on paper
As I lay in bed, the curtains round my bed would pulse and change.
Stroke Unit - Ceiling tiles - (2008), charcoal on paper
As I lay in bed in the Stroke Unit I knew the ceiling tiles should be square or rectangular … but they weren’t.
