Concussion: Blurred Vision, TBI and Visual Processing Dysfunction
Individuals with concussions or other traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often report visual symptoms including visual fatigue, eye strain, and intermittent blurred vision. People with a TBI can also experience other symptoms that actually arise from trouble with the visual process within the brain. These may include difficulty with balance, dizziness, vertigo, light sensitivity, double vision, difficulty functioning in busy/crowded environments, panic attacks and visual hallucinations.
Visual problems people with TBIs suffer from are often overlooked and symptoms are usually attributed to other problems which can lead to unresolved problems that reduce one’s overall quality of life.
Concussion Affecting Vision?
Visual symptoms from a concussion are caused by a dysfunction in brain processing. This can affect the balance between the two visual processes and cause a condition called Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS).
Symptoms of PTVS include:
- Double vision
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness or nausea
- Attention or concentration difficulties
- Staring behavior (infrequent blinking)
- Spatial disorientation
- Losing your place when reading
- Not being able to find the beginning of the next line when reading
- Visual memory problems
- Pulling away from objects when they are brought close to you
- Seeing objects as moving when they are actually stationary
- Difficulty tolerating busy/crowded environments
If you have a history of TBI/concussion or are currently recovering from one and experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, please know that we can help in your rehabilitative process.
Concussion Affecting Vision Causing Difficulty With Balance
Concussions and TBIs can also affect posture and balance. The spatial visual system works with other senses and the neuro-motor system to give your brain information on how your body is oriented in space. In someone with a dysfunctional spatial system as a result of a TBI, difficulty with movement and balance
Symptoms of VMSS include:
- Dizziness or nausea
- Spatial disorientation
- Consistently drifting to one side of hallway or room
- Bumping into objects when walking
- Poor balance or posture (leaning forward, backward or to one side when walking, standing or seated in a wheelchair)
- Back pain or muscle rigidity
- Difficulty tolerating busy/crowded environments
If you experience any of these symptoms, there are tests available to assess you for VMSS. At the Padula Institute of Vision, we combine observation of posture when sitting and walking with gait testing to evaluate and rehabilitate VMSS.
Neuro-Visual Processing Rehabilitation
Individuals with TBIs who have visual dysfunction can benefit from a neuro-visual evaluation. This exam is very different from a routine eye exam. Its purpose is to provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the spatial visual process of the neuro-motor system using a variety of tests.
Treatment of visual processing symptoms often comes in the form of yoked-prism glasses which are usually prescribed for therapeutic use and should only be used under the direction of the prescribing doctor. These prisms may also be recommend for use during physical or occupational therapy. Another therapeutic aid that can be employed is bi-nasal occlusion. This involves placing two strips of opaque tape vertically on the part of each lens that is closest to the nose which serves to provide a vertical boundary in the visual environment and can anchor a dysfunctional vision process. We also provide Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy ™ (NVPT) when necessary and appropriate.
For many, dysfunction of the visual process can be a primary cause of the symptoms many experience. Treatment through neuro-optometric rehabilitation becomes an interdisciplinary approach that can maximize potentials in other therapies such as physical, occupation, speech and cognitive therapies. Collaboration is often the key to successful rehabilitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is treating vision problems after a concussion important?
How are vision problems after a concussion treated?
How do concussions impact balance and posture?
What is Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS)?
What is a concussion, and how does it affect vision?
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