The prevalence of vision problems after concussions may be as high as sixty-nine percent. Functional vision problems relating to concussions can be incapacitating, severely impacting your ability to work, learn, and live normally.
The good news is that concussion-related functional vision problems can be treated with vision therapy.
What are the functional vision problems caused by concussions?
Functional vision problems related to concussions are impaired functional vision skills resulting from a head injury. Functional vision is your ability to move, focus and team your eyes to gather information around you. These include the functional visual skills of eye teaming, eye tracking, and eye focusing.
Eye teaming is your ability to direct both eyes to fixate on the same object. The two images, meaning one image from each eye, are combined by your brain to give you perception of depth.
Eye movement is your ability to fixate, follow a moving object, and switch fixation between objects.
Eye focusing is your ability to see an object clearly, especially when it’s near, and your ability to shift focus between objects at different proximities.
Light Sensitivity
One of the most common symptoms resulting from a concussion is photophobia, otherwise known as painful light sensitivity. Some experts have suggested that as many as forty-three percent of individuals experience ongoing light sensitivity after hitting their head, even though that number could be even higher depending on other risk factors. These may include individuals who engage in high contact athletics, professions, or activities (such as football or boxing) and have sustained multiple head injuries. Most noticeably, sixty to seventy-five percent of active-duty soldiers who have experienced blast-related concussions or mild traumatic brain injury have reported sensitivity to light. This makes veterans one of the most at-risk populations for post concussive photophobia.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness or fear that is out of proportion to one’s situation. People with a concussion may have the feeling of anxiousness without exactly knowing why. Or they might worry and become anxious about making too many mistakes, failing at a project, or feeling constantly criticized. Being in large crowds or adjusting to sudden changes in a plan could be harder to handle after brain injury and cause anxiety.
Some people may get panic attacks. This is a sudden onset of anxiety that could be overwhelming. Anxiety might be related to an extremely stressful situation. A person can also have post-traumatic stress disorder, which is when a situation gets replayed in a one’s mind over and over and interferes with sleep. Since every form of anxiety calls for a different kind of treatment, it should always be diagnosed by a mental health professional or doctor. Click here to learn more about anxiety symptoms.
What is the treatment for post-concussion vision problems?
Treating a concussion-related functional vision problem will be different for everyone. We recommend some or all of the following treatment methods:
Prescription lenses or glasses are specifically created to alleviate symptoms and improve visual function.
An imbalance in the autonomic nervous system is oftentimes seen in traumatic brain injuries. This negatively affects a person’s use of their vision. Syntonics is non-invasive therapy that uses light. Syntonic phototherapy will improve balance to the autonomic nervous system, which helps rehabilitate visual skills.
To learn more about concussion and eyesight consequences, contact Eyesight MD! Dr. Sami is the world’s leading strabismus surgeon ready to help you with all your eyesight needs!