Accidents Causing Traumatic Brain Injuries May Result in Vision Issues

When a person is in an accident and is injured the most obvious of the injuries are the ones that are treated immediately. A broken leg is set and lacerations are stitched. The other injuries that are not so obvious are often overlooked. Because these injuries are often neglected the rehabilitation could take longer and in some instances be impaired. Vision problems are one of the often overlooked problems during the initial treatment of a traumatic brain injury.

A person’s sense of vision is a very important source of sensory information. The vision process involves the flow and processing of information to the brain. Since there is such a close relationship between the vision process and the brain and trauma to the brain can effect the processing and flow of information to the brain. Some of the symptoms to look for that would indicate vision problems after a brain injury are:

• 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
• Reduction or loss of visual field

Having good vision is not the same thing as having effective visual skills. Having visual skills that are inefficient can cause strain and add difficulty to various tasks. Listed below are some of the visual skills that can be traumatized by a brain injury and a short explanation of that particular skill:

• Tracking: the ability of the eye to move smoothly across a printed page or while following a moving object.
• Fixation: quickly and accurately locating and inspecting a series of stationary objects, such as words while reading.
• Focus Change: looking quickly from far to near and back without blur.
• Depth perception: judging relative distances of objects - how far or near they are.
• Peripheral vision: monitoring and interpreting what is happening in the surrounding field of vision
• Binocularity: using both eyes together as a team - smoothly, equally and accurately.
• Maintaining attention: keeping focused on a particular activity while interference, such as noise, is present.
• Visualization: accurately picturing images in the "mind's eye," eye retaining and storing them for future recall.
• Near vision acuity: clearly, seeing, inspecting, identifying and understanding objects viewed within arm's length.
• Distance acuity: clearly seeing, inspecting, identifying and understanding objects viewed at a distance.
• Vision perception: understanding what is seen.

The issues can be treated and rehabilitated by a vision care professional. There are numerous ways these issues can be treated . By the use of correctional lenses and vision therapy the flow of information between the eyes and brain can be improved.