At Vision Development Center of Lancaster, we are committed to finding answers and providing the right kind of vision therapy, and also to bringing light to some less known reasons why someone could be having vision problems.
Certain conditions are sometimes misdiagnosed, or misunderstood, and a concussion is one of them.
Here are some things to keep in mind about concussions, what they are, what the symptoms are, and how vision therapy can help a person heal:
A concussion is a serious medical condition, actually termed a traumatic brain injury. As such, it should be taken seriously.
Concussions often occur more in children and teenagers because of the sports and games they are involved in, and due to the possible long-term consequences, they are beginning to be taken more seriously by school and medical staff.
While many people mistakenly believe that one must “black out” in order to develop a concussion, the truth is that fewer than 10 percent of sports-related concussions occur with loss of consciousness.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussion is crucial.
Here are the three principal features of confusion per American Association of Neurological Surgeons:
- Inability to maintain a coherent stream of thought
- A disturbance of awareness with heightened distractibility
- Inability to carry out a sequence of goal-directed movements
The following are concussion symptoms:
- Prolonged headache
- Vision disturbances
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Impaired balance
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Ringing ears
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sensitivity to light
- Loss of smell or taste
Symptoms can be mild or severe and can last for hours, days, weeks, or even months; but if any of these occur after a blow/trauma to the head, a health-care professional should be consulted as soon as possible. If not allowed to rest after a concussion, the brain could sustain more damage. Neurosurgeons and other brain-injury experts emphasize that even mild concussions should not be taken lightly, although some concussions are less serious than others.
Adults and children often develop vision or eye-related symptoms with concussions, yet many “return-to-learn-or-work” protocols do not include a thorough vision examination in the evaluation process.
The following are symptoms of visual problems that can result from concussion/brain injuries:
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light, glare sensitivity
- Reading difficulties; words appear to move
- Comprehension difficulty
- Attention and concentration difficulty
- Memory difficulty
- Double vision
- Aching eyes
- Headaches with visual tasks
- Inability to maintain visual contact or focus
- Reduction or loss of visual field (Visual Field Loss)
- Difficulties with eye movements
Severity of the concussion or multiple concussions can make these visual symptoms worse or longer lasting; they may not be detected by an MRI or other tests, but once a person returns to school or work, he or she can become aware of it more as it starts to affect their daily tasks.
People who have some type of previous eye-teaming issues tend to have more severe post-trauma vision syndrome symptoms, and much more difficulty with reading and eye tracking problems after a concussion. Even mild concussions can affect vision and cause visual dysfunction, and severe concussions can cause blindness and double vision.
Fortunately, most of the issues caused by a concussion will resolve, but only with total rest with no brain stimulation, including video games, TV, or socializing with friends, to gives the brain a chance to recover. If conditions persist, it’s recommended to follow up with a neurologist to rule out serious and sometimes life threatening medical problems.
Most of these problems are treatable if they do not resolve on their own, and many of the vision conditions respond well to vision therapy. Vision therapy, performed by experienced behavioral optometrists, consists of eye exercises and training that help retrain the eye muscles and reaction time.
At Vision Development Center of Lancaster, we offer programs designed to address very specific sets of vision disorders displayed by an individual patient, and our vision therapy techniques can benefit both children and adults.
If you’re searching for visual therapy doctors and developmental optometrists in Lancaster PA or vision therapy techniques and alternative treatments – we invite you to begin the journey to better health and quality of life today – call our office at (717) 656-0534 to make an appointment, or click here to take our free symptoms survey.