Did you know that the concussion is the most common form of brain injury? Concussions happen when the head and brain are knocked about by a forceful impact. Sports injuries are a common cause of concussions, but car accidents, falls, and other incidents can also cause them. That impact can cause the brain to move around inside the skull, which can lead to a whole slew of problems, including damaged brain cells.

While concussions are not usually considered life-threatening in and of themselves, they are definitely not something to take lightly. Close supervision of the patient is usually required, as the effects can be very serious. Vision problems can be an ongoing issue in some cases. With some patients, neuro-optometric rehabilitation is needed as part of the concussion treatment. A vision therapy optometrist Rialto CA offers some insight into this aspect of concussion care in this article.

How Does A Concussion Impact Vision?

The eyes and brain work together in a very intricate and precise exchange of information. Concussions can throw a wrench into the process, and can lead to ongoing visual issues.

Here is a bit more information on that:

A study published in the Journal of The College Of Optometrists revealed that nearly 57% of people with mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury) experience dysfunction with vergence, which is the way both eyes move to create a single image. Vergence works with accommodation, which is the capability of each eye to focus. Both of these are necessary for proper vision.

A study exploring the proportion of people who experience visual dysfunction after an mTBI concluded that 56.3% of mTBI patients have some type of vergence dysfunction. Vergence is the movement of both eyes to create one single image. Accommodation, on the other hand, is the ability of each eye to engage focus to see a clear image. You need both accommodation and vergence systems to work appropriately to see clearly, at all distances. These also fall under the general umbrella of eye-teaming, which, as the name suggests, is the ability of the eyes to work together.

This brings us to Convergence Insufficiency, or CI, which is a problem with the way the eyes point inward to focus on nearby objects. CI is quite common after mTBI. A 2015 study by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and the Division of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, City University, London, UK revealed that roughly 42 percent of athletes who were evaluated within 30 days of suffering a sports-related concussion experienced convergence insufficiency.

In another study, this one by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University, 218 concussion patients were monitored. (Note: over half of these concussions were sports related. A fifth were due to car accidents, with the rest occurring due to other incidents.) A whopping 82 percent had oculomotor problems. Vision therapy was recommended for 80 percent of the patients.

What Is Vision Therapy And How Can it Help With Concussion Care?

Vision therapy focuses on optimizing the flow of communication between the eyes and brain. The therapy itself often consists of a series of visual exercises, which will be both led by and observed by the visual therapist. The focus is often on eye teaming, tracking, focus, hand-eye coordination, and depth perception … all of which are crucial for good vision. This can help improve and speed healing, and can reduce or elimate disfunctions and miscommunications between the eyes and brain.

It’s not uncommon for people to experience issues with their vision after a concussion. Some of these may not immediately seem like vision problems. Difficulty concentrating, for instance, may be chalked up to a variety of factors. Light sensitivity and headache are also not uncommon among those recovering from a concussion. If you are experiencing any of these, you may benefit from incorporating neuro vision rehabilitation into your concussion treatment plan.

Vision Problems: Warning Signs After A Concussion

It’s always important to be aware of potential vision issues after a traumatic brain injury. However, this is even more crucial after a concussion. Some of the things to be on the ‘lookout’ for include eye pain, headaches, blurry vision, light sensitivity, and double vision. You may have trouble tracking objects, or changing your focus from one thing to another. Double vision is another red flag, as are changes in the field of vision.

Other warning signs may not immediately seem to be vision related. These include nausea, dizziness, trouble balancing, and difficulty concentrating. Some people struggle with tasks such as reading, writing, or looking at a screen, or with things that require heavy visual focus, such as sewing, drawing, or crafting. You may find yourself closing one eye to see better, or holding projects closer or further away than usual. You might have difficulty with hand-eye coordination, or get dizzy or nauseous when scrolling through your social media feed.

Many of these symptoms will occur within the first week or two after a concussion. In many cases, they will resolve on their own. However, some people require vision therapy as part of their concussion care. Symptoms that have persisted for more than a month definitely require attention.

Neuro Optometric Therapy: Treatment Options

First things first: if you’re experiencing these symptoms, you’ll need a thorough eye exam to pinpoint any issues.

Some of the things that may be assessed include eye focus, visual perceptin, peripheral vision assessments, eye scanning, tracking capability, visual spatial function tests. Of course, your patient history will also come into play here.

This is where you may be referred to a neuro-optometric vision therapy specialist. Once you have been diagnosed, they will provide a custom neuro optometric rehabilitation therapy plan.

Ask your Rialto CA vision therapist for more information.

Neuro Visual Therapy: Telehealth Options

Covid isn’t going away, and neither is telehealth. This can be a great option, particularly for those who have difficulty driving after a concussion. Home-based vision therapy generally won’t completely replace in-office care, but it can definitely reduce the amount of in-person appointments you have. As with other treatment plans, your vision therapist will be able to adjust the schedule and format of your concussion treatment plan as you improve.

Finding Neuro Vision Rehabilitation Therapists

If you’re recovering from a concussion, you may also want to ask your primary care provider for a referral to a physical therapist. Vision therapy may be considered part of physical therapy. It may be referred to slightly differently: visual-vestibular rehabilitation, concussion therapy, vestibular-oculomotor rehabilitation, and vestibular physical therapy are all relevant terms for head concussion treatment.

Concussion Rehabilitation Tip: Keep Up With Self Care

If you’re healing from a concussion, you’ll want to pamper yourself a little bit, and give yourself the time and comfort you need to heal. When it comes to the visual aspect of this, you may find that small steps, such as taking frequent breaks when reading or looking at things onscreen, can give your eyes the rest they need. You may also want to increase your font size on your phone and computer, or try using a text-to-speech app, rather than reading or typing. If your eyes are dry, talk to your eye doctor about eye drops.

Conclusion: Visual therapy can be a very important and impactful part of concussion care. Numerous studies have found that traumatic brain injury can lead to issues with vision. Those who are suffering symptoms after a concussion may benefit from neuro optometric vision therapy.

Are you currently in concussion treatment? Do you think you may benefit from neuro optometric vision rehabilitation? Contact us here at The Center for Vision Development, your vision therapy optometrist Rialto CA.