Rehabilitation Outcomes of Cortical Blindness and Characteristics Secondary to Cardiac Arrest: A Review

We reviewed the published literature on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with cortical blindness (CB) and highlighted the characteristic features and prognosis of CB due to cardiac arrest. The studies excluded were those involving the pediatric population (<age 16), written in a language other than English, and studies with no mention of outcomes. The literature search was done by PubMed and EBSCOhost databases from the oldest available literature through November 2019. Due to the scarcity of published literature and a qualitative description of outcomes, a narrative review of the literature was deemed appropriate. Seven case reports and one retrospective cohort study met the inclusion criteria. Cognitive and visual impairments were significant barriers to rehabilitation in CB. Improvement of visual deficits occurred within one to two months. Those with complete blindness, cognitive impairments, and a delay in resuscitation were more likely to have poorer functional outcomes in the performance of activities of daily living and were less likely to be discharged home. This is the most comprehensive review of published literature to focus on the function of patients with cortical blindness. The limitations include the small number of published literature and the qualitative approach utilized. Despite the limitations, the findings of this review can inform future studies that would investigate the most efficient and comprehensive methods of CB rehabilitation.