A growing body of research confirms that visual problems are very common following even minor Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), stroke, and concussion.  The visual system is very complex, including multiple processing areas in the brain that can be disrupted from a head injury or stroke.  Progressive damage can occur following head injury causing visual symptoms to present even months after the injury.  How the eyes track, focus, and work together can all be affected by head injury.  Visual processing speed and visual perceptual skills required for tasks such as finding an object in a crowded drawer can also be affected.

 

Especially with growing awareness of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Veterans, the importance of visual rehabilitation is recognized as a critical component of treatment.  Fixing visual symptoms can have a very positive effect on other therapies including occupational therapy, balance and cognitive therapy.  Double vision and other visual symptoms can inhibit progress with these therapies.

 

For some conditions, putting prism in glasses can eliminate double vision.  In other cases, vision therapy as described in the vision therapy section can remediate vision problems and symptoms.