Visual Conditions From Acquired Brain Injuries, Concussions & Diseases

At the The Vision Therapy Center at Family Eye Care & Vision Therapy, Dr. Michael Orwasky, O.D., FCOVD can treat visual, perceptual, and motor problems arising from traumatic brain injury, disease, and inherited conditions. Unfortunately, all too often the root cause of these symptoms isn’t properly identified as a visual processing issue. Here are some of the many vision conditions that arise as a result, which can be detected and treated at our vision therapy center. These include:

• Vestibular Dysfunction such as midline shift, dizziness, nausea when the eyes are in motion in relation to the patient (e.g. the head moves while the eye moves in other direction)
• Acquired Strabismus — “crossed-eyed” or occurs when the eyes do not align properly. One or both can turn inward, outward, upward, or downward.
• Difficulty paying attention or focusing at near or far objects for long periods of time (convergence and or accommodative insufficiency)
• Visual-spatial dysfunction/visual processing disorder — a disrupted sense of where objects are in space, possibly including your own body. It affects the ability to distinguish between object and object types, colors, and the ability to organize and make sense of what is being seen.
• Oculomotor Dysfunction—problem with intentional eye movement: results in problems with balance, reading comprehension and speed, writing, and any other focused visual task. 
• Nystagmus—a condition where the eyes make uncontrolled movements repeatedly. Can result in problems with balance, visual acuity, and depth perception.
• Post Traumatic Vision Syndrome—a condition which occurs after a brain injury, or from neurological diseases such as MS. Results in difficulty reading, as words will seem to run together. Also results in blurry or double vision. Symptoms may not appear for days, weeks, or even months after the initial cause.
• Hemianopsia/Visual Neglect—losing half of your field of vision from either side

Reduced Cognitive Functioning for Visual Tasks

Acquired brain injury such as concussion often results in reduced cognitive abilities with visual tasks. These visual perceptual deficits can have dramatic negative effects on academic, occupational, and even athletic success by negatively impacting:

• Visual Discrimination—The ability to discriminate small difference between objects
• Visual Memory — Retaining a visual record of something observed, which is a crucial skill for  learning
• Visual Sequential Memory- The ability to remember a string of items such as a grocery list, a phone number, or a combination code.
• Visual Figure-Ground—Difficulty differentiating a single object amongst many, such as a car in a parking lot. It can make being in a crowded environment unbearable.
• Light sensitivity—A common result of brain injuries, Photophobia—sensitivity to light—can be a severe impediment to being outdoors, in a mall, or in a classroom.

These problems and conditions can also result in secondary psychological conditions such as panic attacks and depression.

Fortunately, these are all things that The Vision Therapy Center at Family Eye Care & Vision Therapy regularly treats. If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms or conditions, then reach out to us. We regularly assist patients to retrain their visual systems to overcome these symptoms and visual conditions.