Concussion (Traumatic Brain Injury – TBI)

If you suffer from a concussion (traumatic brain injury — TBI), it can significantly affect your vision and visual processing, leading to symptoms like blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and balance issues. Turn to DeyeNAMICS in California, Connecticut, Iowa, and Texas for expert care. The team specializes in neuro-visual rehabilitation and can help restore balance and improve vision after a TBI. Schedule an appointment by phone or online today if you have symptoms of a concussion.

What is a concussion (traumatic brain injury — TBI)?

A concussion, or TBI, occurs when a blow or jolt to the head disrupts normal brain function and will directly affect visual processing in the brain. The injury can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports, or any impact, causing the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. A concussion can be caused by a ‘whiplash’ from a car accident or sports injury.

Concussions range in severity, but even mild ones can affect visual processing and cause or reinforce physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning.

How does a concussion (traumatic brain injury — TBI) affect vision?

A concussion can significantly impact vision because of diffuse axonal nerve injury to areas of the brain involved in processing visual information. After a TBI, you may experience:

• Blurred vision
• Difficulty focusing
• Double vision
• Light sensitivity
• Problems with eye coordination

These symptoms arise because the injury disrupts the delicate balance between the brain’s focal and spatial visual processes.

In many cases of TBI, individuals develop:

Post-trauma vision syndrome (PTVS)

This condition is characterized by dysfunction in the brain’s ability to integrate focal and spatial visual processing. This imbalance can cause issues with depth perception, eye movements, and visual attention, leading to problems with everyday tasks like reading or walking. Research using visual evoked potentials (brainwave tests) has documented PTVS as a common consequence of TBI.

PTVS symptoms include:

• Diplopia
• Blurred vision (varies)
• Inability to tolerate busy moving environments
• Headaches
• Asthenopia
• Hallucinations
• Photophobia (light sensitivity)

Visual midline shift syndrome (VMSS)

This common issue occurs when the spatial visual system, which provides the brain with spatial information for movement and balance, becomes dysfunctional after a TBI. This causes the person to feel disoriented or off-balance, making movement awkward and balance difficult. In this case, the brain misinterprets where the body is about its surroundings, leading to balance and coordination problems.

How is a concussion (traumatic brain injury — TBI)?

If you experience visual dysfunction following a TBI, you may benefit from the DeyeNAMICS team’s specialized neuro-visual rehabilitation evaluation. Unlike a routine eye exam, this evaluation focuses on the relationship between the ambient visual process and the neuro-motor system. 

Through in-depth testing, your practitioner can identify specific issues, such as PTVS or VMSS. Treatment may include neuro-visual rehabilitation therapies, including prisms, neuro-visual postural therapy (NVPT), or other interventions to restore balance between the visual processes and improve coordination and movement.

If you or a loved one experiences a concussion, schedule an appointment for an eye exam. The team can provide treatment to help restore your vision. Call or book an appointment online today.