Peripheral Vision and Spatial Awareness in Parkinson’s
Most people don’t realize how much their peripheral vision contributes to their sense of balance and spatial orientation—until it starts to decline. For individuals with Parkinson’s disease, reduced peripheral awareness is a common and often overlooked challenge. This narrowing of the visual field can make it harder to judge where your body is in space, spot obstacles from the side, and maintain balance—leading to higher risks of freezing, falls, and disorientation.
Peripheral vision plays a key role in something called spatial awareness—the brain’s ability to map your surroundings and adjust your movements accordingly. In Parkinson’s, as the brain’s motor circuits become less efficient, the ability to process visual input from the sides can weaken. This makes it more likely to miss things like curbs, furniture, or other people nearby, especially while walking or turning. You might not even realize that your brain is ignoring part of your visual field until a fall or near-miss brings it to your attention.
The good news is that peripheral vision and spatial awareness can be trained—just like balance or strength. Exercises that involve scanning the environment, shifting the gaze laterally, and expanding visual attention beyond the central field can stimulate the brain to re-engage sidelined sensory systems. This kind of visual training not only strengthens the eyes but also sharpens the brain’s ability to process, anticipate, and respond to incoming spatial information.
That’s where the BrainSpeed Ball® becomes especially helpful. Its unpredictable bounce and colorful targets naturally pull the eyes into side-to-side scanning patterns, stimulating both central and peripheral vision. When a person tracks the ball while identifying letters or numbers, they’re training their eyes and brain to work together to increase awareness of what’s happening beyond the direct line of sight. This kind of dynamic visual engagement is essential for navigating real-world environments with confidence and safety.
Incorporating even a few minutes of peripheral vision training each day can help reduce the risk of collisions and falls, support smoother movement, and improve overall spatial awareness. For people with Parkinson’s, expanding what your eyes take in can also mean expanding what your brain is ready to respond to—bringing a greater sense of control and confidence to daily life.
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Sources:
Davidsdottir, S., Cronin-Golomb, A., & Lee, A. (2005). Visual and spatial symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Vision Research, 45(10), 1285–1296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2004.11.006
Azulay, J. P., Mesure, S., Amblard, B., Pouget, J., & Pradon, D. (2002). Visual control of locomotion in Parkinson’s disease. Brain, 125(2), 478–490. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awf034