Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to any area of the brain due to external force. The damage may be microscopic, as in the case of concussions, or it could be structure-altering, as in a more severe TBI or stroke.
After experiencing a brain injury, the visual system can be impacted, sometimes severely. Due to the complexity of the visual system, sometimes even a mild concussion can disrupt many aspects of vision.
Research shows over 50% of patients with a concussion have symptomatic visual problems following their injury. Listed below are 11 symptoms that often follow a concussion:
- Headaches
- Light sensitivity
- Double vision
- Blurred vision
- Eye fatigue
- Motion sickness
- Dizziness or disorientation
- Loss of place when reading
- Poor concentration
- Inability to tolerate crowded or busy places
- Delayed processing speed or visual memory
Many of these symptoms result from damage to the visual system. The most common visual diagnoses following a concussion are:
- Binocular Dysfunction
- Accommodative Dysfunction
- Oculomotor Dysfunction
- Convergence Insufficiency
- Convergence Excess
- Visual Midline Shift
- Visual Perceptual/Processing Disorder
- Visual-Vestibular Integration Dysfunction
The first step to determine if Optometric Vision Therapy would be helpful as a part of your rehabilitation plan is to have an evaluation with our team.
