Walsh & Hoyt: Lesions of the Occipital Lobe and Visual Cortex

In many cases the most posterior visual radiation and visual cortex are affected together. Most lesions in the occipital lobe are vascular or traumatic in origin, with tumor, abscess, demyelination, and toxic disorders of white matter occurring less frequently. Cole, a neurologist, has written a first-person account of his experience as a patient with an occipital stroke, which includes some of the symptomatology described below. Unilateral lesions of the posterior occipital lobe. Unilateral lesions of the anterior occipital lobe. Bilateral effects of unilateral occipital lobe lesions. Macular sparing. Bilateral occipital lobe lesions. Cortical (cerebral) blindness. Visual-evoked responses in cortical blindness. Optokinetic nystagmus in cortical blindness. Cortical blindness with denial of blindness (Anton's syndrome). Other visual features of occipital lobe damage. Lesions of the striate cortex without defects in the visual field. Lesions of the extrastrate cortex with defects in the visual field. Cortical visual loss with normal neuroimaging. Dissociation of visual perception. Nonvisual symptoms and signs of occipital lobe disease.