Occupational therapy treatment with right half-field eye-patching for patients with subacute stroke and unilateral neglect: a randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE The right half-field eye-patching technique has been reported to be effective in reducing unilateral neglect (UN) and improving functional ability in stroke patients. This study investigated the efficacy of conventional treatment with right half-field eye patching in treating subacute stroke patients with UN, using a randomised controlled trial. METHOD Thirty-five inpatients with subacute stroke were recruited and randomised into intervention and control groups. The patients in the intervention group received 4 weeks of conventional occupational therapy with modified right half-field eye-patching. Those in the control group received 4 weeks of conventional treatment only. Assessors, who were blind to the treatments, assessed the groups using the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) on admission and at 4 weeks. RESULTS Patients treated with right half-field eye-patching had significantly (p = 0.046) higher BIT gain (mean = 25.06, SD = 30.81) than those treated with the conventional treatment (mean = 8.29, SD = 10.35). There was no significant difference (p = 0.467) in FIM gain between patients in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Right half-field eye-patching improved stroke patients' impairment level in terms of UN, but the potential benefits in impairment tests were not confirmed by improvements in function.