Acquired Brain Injury and Concussion
A concussion, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), can occur when a person experiences a sudden bump, blow or jolt to the head. This rapid movement causes the brain to hit against the inside of the skull, often bruising or damaging neural networks. Due to the complexity of the visual system, even a mild concussion can disrupt many aspects of vision.
What happens following a traumatic brain injury or concussion
Following a concussion, reading often becomes difficult. Text on a page may become blurry or even drift apart, becoming double. Words may even move or jump around. For many, these symptoms decrease reading speed, comprehension and attention.
Research shows, over 50% of patients with a concussion have visual problems that cause headaches, light sensitivity, double vision, eye strain or blurred vision. Listed below are 13 symptoms that often follow a concussion.
Headaches
Light Sensitivity
Double Vision
Blurred Vision
Eye Fatigue
Motion Sickness
Dizziness
Disorientation
Loss of place when reading
Slow Reading
Poor Concentration
Inability to tolerate crowded or busy places
Delayed Visual Memory
Many of these symptoms result from damage to the visual system. Roughly 10-20% of concussed patients experience these symptoms for several weeks, months or more than a year.
What are the most common post-concussion visual symptoms?
There are many common visual diagnoses associated with concussions and other acquired traumatic brain injuries.
Oculomotor dysfunction
Binocular dysfunction
Convergence insufficiency
Convergenc excess
Accommodative dysfunction
Vision Rehabilitation
Until recent advancements, treating these visual problems with basic rehabilitation was the general model of care. Even though general rehabilitation may include balance, eye-hand coordination, and visual tracking treatments, these limited forms of treatment do not typically address the majority of visual problems following a concussion.
At Vivid Visions Optometry, we are a leading developmental and rehabilitative vision therapy practice. Our doctor treats post-concussion vision problems with intensive office-based vision therapy, for more effective results. We address these visual problems with a personalized approach. Each session is one-on-one (doctor-to-patient). Our advanced vision rehabilitation is essential to restore visual functioning and accelerate the recovery process.
Vision Rehabilitation Success Stories
These are stories written and voluntarily submitted by people who have benefited from visual rehabiliation from all over the United States.
You may read their store here.
If you’re in need of quality eye care, Dr. David Antonyan can help.
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