Use of the UFOV to evaluate and retrain visual attention skills in clientswith stroke: A pilot study

Objective. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the use of a vi sual attention analyzer in the evaluation and retraining of useful field of view in clients with stroke. Method. Fifty-two clients with stroke referred to a driving evaluation serv ice were evaluated with a visual attention analyzer referred to as the UFOV 1. The UFOV assesses three aspects of visual attention: processing speed, d ivided attention, and selective attention. Seven participants were retested to determine the test-retest reliability of the UFOV Six participated in t he development of a training protocol and in a 20-session visual attention retraining program. Results. UFOV scores indicated substantial reduction in visual attention in clients after stroke, with older participants performing the most poorly. Test-retest reliability was moderate (ICC = .70). Mean UFOV scores improved significantly after retraining. Conclusion. Although UFOV scores indicated poor visual attention skills in clients with stroke, preliminary information suggests that UFOV scores sign ificantly improve with training.