Each year, more than 10 million traumatic brain injuries occur around the world, and close to 57 million people have been hospitalized for a TBI at some point throughout their lives. In America, 2.5 million Americans suffer some form of TBI annually, which is almost 1 in every 100 people!
What Is a TBI, and How Does It Happen?
TBI stands for Traumatic Brain Injury. They usually occur from a sudden and violent blow to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. An object that pierces brain tissue, such as a bullet, piece of shattered skull, etc. can also cause a TBI, but these cases are rare. While all ages can be affected, children, young adults, and the elderly are particularly susceptible to experiencing a TBI.
Symptoms range from mild to moderate to severe, and it all depends on the extent of damage to the brain. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Speech issues
- Dizziness and loss of balance
Car accidents are the most common cause of head injury leading to TBI, with sports coming in at a close second. When it comes to children, sports and recreational activities are responsible for over 21% of all traumatic brain injuries. Athletes who participate in high-contact sports, such as football, boxing, rugby, wrestling, and soccer, are more susceptible to a TBI. According to the CDC, ER visits for sports and recreational-related activities have increased by over 50% in the past decade.
What Vision-Related Issues Occur After a TBI?
Over 90% of TBI patients suffer from visual issues as a result of their injury. While there are a few different kinds of vision problems that can occur after a TBI, some of the most common include:
- Eye focusing – blurry vision, specifically when it comes to seeing up close or far away
- Eye teaming – otherwise known as double vision, this is when your eyes do not properly work together as a “team”
- Eye movements – difficulty following a moving object or staying focused, with the most common complaint being losing your place while reading
- Motion sensitivity – when the connection between your vision and balance is interrupted, it’s difficult to process motion, causing vertigo, dizziness, motion sickness, and so on
These issues can vary and occur during different parts of the recovery process. In some cases, there could be complete vision loss in either one eye or both, but this depends on the severity of the injury.
These visual issues can greatly impact your everyday life, whether you experience one, two, or all of them. You might find some environments uncomfortable, such as feeling irritable in places with visual overload (patterns, motion, etc.) or getting easily bothered by lights or glares. You might feel physical discomfort, like your eyes hurting or tearing up more than usual or the sensation that your eye is pulling in another direction. You could also experience headaches or feel motion sickness more than usual.
Visual problems caused by TBI can also affect your posture and balance. You might feel like the floor is tilted, and you need to lean either forward, backward, or to one side while sitting, standing, or walking. You also might have issues with depth perception and judging where objects are, making participating in sports or other recreational activities almost impossible.
Lastly, these vision problems can overall affect your vision cognition, making it difficult to take in and understand visual information. You might experience problems with your eyes moving together or making other eye movements. You also might have difficulty with visual scanning, visual attention, and visual memory.
Can Vision Therapy Help Treat a TBI?
Vision therapy is like physical therapy, but for your eyes. It helps improve visual function by teaching the brain more control over the eyes. Patients who partake in vision therapy experience improved brain skills in visual processing.
Whether you need visual treatment after a TBI or you’re searching for ADHD doctors, look no further than the Vision Development Center of Lancaster. Located in Lancaster, PA, our team is here to create a therapy program based on your individual needs.
Our certified experts are standing by and ready to help you! Take our vision quiz today to get started.