Which statement describes hemianopia?

Which statement describes hemianopia?

• A. Blindness in half of the visual field
• B. Loss of color vision
• C. Hearing loss in one ear
• D. Double vision

Answer: (A)

Hemianopia is blindness in half of the visual field. It happens when a brain injury or lesion affects the posterior visual pathways (the optic radiations or the occipital cortex), causing the same half of the field to be lost in both eyes—that’s called a homonymous hemianopia. This is different from issues in color vision, hearing, or double vision, which involve other systems or types of vision problems. In practice, recognizing a half-field loss points to a brain-related event and requires prompt evaluation to identify the underlying cause.

Hemianopia is blindness in half of the visual field. It happens when a brain injury or lesion affects the posterior visual pathways (the optic radiations or the occipital cortex), causing the same half of the field to be lost in both eyes—that’s called a homonymous hemianopia. This is different from issues in color vision, hearing, or double vision, which involve other systems or types of vision problems. In practice, recognizing a half-field loss points to a brain-related event and requires prompt evaluation to identify the underlying cause.