Concussions (mTBI) & Acquired Brain Injuries
About Concussions & Vision
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.
Details
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.
The most common visual diagnoses following a concussion are:
- Oculomotor Dysfunction
- Binocular Dysfunction
- Convergence Insufficiency
- Convergence Excess
- Visual Midline Shift
- Visual Perceptual/Processing Disorder
- Visual-Vestibular Integration Dysfunction
- Accommodative Dysfunction
Treatment – Return to YOU
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 Wow Vision Therapy, we are a leading developmental and rehabilitative vision therapy practice. Our doctors and board-certified vision therapists treat 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 (therapist-to-patient), conducted under doctor supervision. Our advanced vision rehabilitation is essential to restore visual functioning and accelerate the recovery process.
Our advanced treatment includes:
- In-Office and Home-Support VR
- Binocular Vision Therapy
- Accommodation “Focusing” Development
- Visual Processing Development
- Visual-Vestibular Integration Treatment
- Oculomotor Therapy
- Eye-Hand Coordination Therapy
Treatment may also include spectacle lens, prisms, filters, and special tint prescriptions to provide symptomatic relief.
Results
After treatment, our patients improve in their:
- Eye-Teaming (Binocular Vision)
- Depth Perception
- Focusing (Accommodation)
- Visual Tracking (Oculomotor)
- Visual-Spatial Awareness
- Visual Processing
- Visual Motor
- Visual-Vestibular Integration
Brain Injury Vision Symptom Survey
If you or your child has suffered from a brain injury, this free online vision test helps determine if a Vision Rehabilitation Evaluation is needed. When answering for a child, ask the following questions exactly as written. If the child responds with “yes”, please ask “how often” and answer accordingly. Try not to give examples.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND RESEARCH
Vision Diagnoses Are Common After Concussion in Adolescents
A Brief Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) Assessment to Evaluate Concussions
Vergence dysfunction in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI): a review.
CAR CRASH AFFECTED HIS VISUAL WORLD | WOW VISION THERAPY
Treating Vision Problems Post-Concussion (mTBI) | Wow Vision Therapy
What happens when you have a concussion? - Clifford Robbins | TEDEd
Neuro-Optometric Vision Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) | Wow Vision Therapy
The Impact of Concussion on Vision | VisionHelp
When a Concussion Leads to Serious Vision Problems | Wow Vision Therapy
Vision Rehabilitation for Stroke Victims | Wow Vision Therapy