Concussions or Brain Injury

• Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury.
• From 2001-2009, the number of ER visits resulting from sports or recreation-related concussions rose 57% in children age 19 years and younger.
  
• Soccer causes the most number of concussions in female athletes.
  
• Football causes the most number of concussions in male athletes.
  

Vision-Related Concussion Symptoms

1. Seeing double
   
2. Seeing stationary objects appear to move
   
3. Seeing words and letters run together
   
4. Sensitivity to light
   
5. Intermittent blur
   
6. Seeing floors that appear to tilt
   
7. Difficulties with balance and orientation especially in crowds
   
8. Changes in posture and gait
   

In patients suffering from post-concussion symptoms, studies show that their brain wave function is scattered. Instead of using the typical parts of the brain for a specific task like they would before the injury (shown as the orange highlights in the column labeled Without Concussion), post-concussion patients use many parts of the brain that are not normally used for that job to try to accomplish the task (shown as the orange highlights in the column labeled After Concussion). This is a reason why some patients find it difficult to concentrate on tasks after a head injury. In addition, the speed at which these patients 

process information is significantly slower than before the injury occurred. These same studies reveal that optometric vision rehabilitation helps the brain wave function of these post-concussion patients be more focused. Instead of using unrelated, scattered parts of the brain for a typical task, patients who have received optometric vision rehabilitation are able to utilize the parts of their brain that would typically be engaged in that task. Also, the processing speed for these patients improve after rehabilitation. Treatment for visual deficits is not a cure-all for someone with widespread neurological damage after traumatic brain injury. However, evidence suggests that optometric vision rehabilitation can positively influence brain function.

How Optometric Vision Rehabilitation Can Help