Sent Home Mid-Stroke: CEO of Optometry Canada on Vision Loss and Recovery – Francois CouillardSent Home Mid-Stroke: CEO of Optometry Canada on Vision Loss and Recovery – Francois Couillard
Recovery After Stroke
Former optometry leader François Couillard recounts a stroke that stole a quarter of his vision yet left him looking “fine” to others. He and host Bill Gasiamis compare experiences of missed care, invisible deficits and finding a practical, hopeful way to rebuild life afterwards.
1:03:52•1 Jun 2026
Sent Home Mid-Stroke: Vision, Leadership and Invisible Loss with François Couillard
Episode Overview
- Invisible or mild-looking strokes can still cause significant, life-altering deficits and may be underestimated by medical staff.
- Stroke survivors with vision changes can benefit from specific support such as vision therapy, field testing and environmental adaptations.
- Relying on personal networks and knowledge is sometimes necessary to piece together suitable rehabilitation and services.
- Mental stamina and fatigue can lag far behind physical recovery, making pacing and honest communication with loved ones crucial.
- Adjusting mindset, trimming commitments and keeping a sense of humour can make ongoing recovery feel more manageable and meaningful.
“They said, you had that episode, you zapped a piece of your brain, and now go home.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation shifts the focus to stroke, invisible disability and what it’s like when experts themselves become patients. The episode follows François Couillard, former CEO of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, whose stroke attacked the one thing he’d built his career around: sight. Sitting at his kitchen table on Halloween, he suddenly couldn’t see his wife properly.
“I can see the world, but you’re a little bit… I can’t describe it,” he recalls. Apart from that strange visual change, he felt perfectly fine. At the hospital, a scan confirmed a stroke, yet he was sent home the same night with no rehab plan.
As François dryly puts it, “You zapped a piece of your brain, and now go home.” He later learned he’d lost a quarter of his visual field, yet had to organise his own support: vision therapy, workplace adaptations and contact with low-vision services. His story highlights how easy it is for ‘milder’ or less visible strokes to be dismissed and how much self‑advocacy is sometimes required.
Host Bill Gasiamis shares his own experience of being discharged early, cognitively shattered but looking “completely fine on the outside”, creating a powerful parallel for anyone whose struggles don’t show up on the surface. You’ll hear about mental fatigue that feels like the brain is “fried”, the strain of driving and cycling with partial vision, the impact on relationships, and the relief of scaling back commitments.
François talks about keeping his humour, leaning on exercise and community, and choosing a mindset that looks for growth instead of only loss. If you’ve ever been told “you look fine” while feeling anything but, this conversation might feel like someone finally speaking your language. What parts of François’s attitude could you borrow for your own recovery?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.