Symptom 8. Visual Spatial Difficulties
Visual spatial difficulties are another common symptom of vascular dementia, though they often go unnoticed in the early stages of the disease. These difficulties involve problems with understanding and interpreting visual information. This can manifest in many ways, such as trouble recognizing faces, difficulty distinguishing objects or colors, or problems with depth perception.
For instance, a person might struggle to recognize familiar faces, even of close family members or friends. They might also have difficulty judging distances, leading to bumps or falls.
Simple tasks like pouring a glass of water or navigating around furniture can become increasingly challenging. In more severe cases, they might not recognize objects for what they are, leading to confusion and distress.
These visual spatial difficulties are a result of decreased blood flow to the parts of the brain responsible for processing visual information. The parietal lobes, for instance, play a crucial role in our spatial understanding and object recognition. Damage to these areas can disrupt these abilities, leading to the symptoms observed in vascular dementia. (8)
