Vision After a Brain Injury for Children: A Path to Recovery
By Dr. Jesse Willingham
You might have someone in mind while you read this, maybe it’s why you are looking into the link between head injuries and vision. If so, please feel free to connect with us to ask any specific questions about the individual’s symptoms.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so I would like to acknowledge the incredible struggle that brain injury patients survive every day, and speak to how optometric vision therapy and rehabilitation can be such an important part of the comprehensive care these patients need.
Brain injury stands as the primary contributor to disability and mortality among children and adolescents across the United States. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the age groups most susceptible to brain injuries are those between 0-4 and 15-19 years old.
Annually, within the 0-19 age bracket, approximately 62,000 children experience brain injuries that require hospitalization from various causes including motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports-related incidents, and physical abuse.
The Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) reports that as many as 90% of brain injuries can result in some sort of visual dysfunction, including blurred vision, loss of side or central vision, light sensitivity, difficulty with eye movements, reading difficulties, or headaches or discomfort from visual tasks.
Vision Is More Than 20/20
This is not surprising when you learn that so much of the brain is involved in vision and visual processing, and once you understand that vision is so much more than just being able to see 20/20 on the eye chart. If we break down all the skills needed just to see 20/20 beyond having a healthy eyeball and the right glasses, you also need to:
- Be able to focus the eye at a distance (not over or under focus)
- Be able to find the letters to read
- Maintain you line of sight on the letters long enough to then
- Identify the letter
- Mentally connect that visual image with the language centers of the brain to say what you see
Life Takes Sustained Focus
All of these things can be affected by a brain injury, but so many more things have to be done in our everyday lives to maintain clear and comfortable vision. Chiefly, we have to do everything listed above, but then constantly repeat and maintain the process as we look from place to place, at different distances and angles, sometimes while blasting down a highway at superhuman speed!
School presents a particularly challenging setting for students grappling with symptoms. It’s been estimated that 80% of learning relies on visual information – students must sustain focus for extended durations during reading tasks, effortlessly transition their focus from their desk to their teacher or the chalkboard, and maintain the ability to do this and other visual activities throughout the whole day. Consequently, their eyes endure persistent strain, resulting in a draining cycle and headaches.
Having good vision is also undeniably crucial for excelling as an athlete. In sports, split-second decisions can determine success or failure, and clear vision plays a pivotal role in making those decisions accurately. Athletes rely on their vision to track fast-moving objects, anticipate opponents’ movements, and assess their surroundings effectively. Whether it’s a basketball player judging the distance for a three-point shot, a soccer player accurately passing the ball to a teammate, or a baseball player timing their swing to connect with a fastball, visual acuity is paramount. Moreover, good vision enhances hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and overall spatial awareness, all of which are vital components of athletic performance. Athletes with optimal vision are better equipped to react swiftly, adapt to changing conditions, and maintain peak performance levels throughout their competitive endeavors. Therefore, prioritizing eye health and vision care is essential for athletes aiming to reach their full potential in their respective sports.
Vision Is Not One Size Fits All
Most of us are by nature visual beings living in a visual world, but we are often lucky to take clear, comfortable vision for granted. But a stroke, concussion, or other traumatic brain injury can take what has always come naturally to us and make it an obstacle, even if you previously saw very well without glasses.
Optometrists trained in vision rehabilitation have several tools beyond prescription lenses to improve visual clarity. These include:
- Prisms to improve visual comfort and efficiency
- Tints to improve visual comfort and reduce light sensitivity
- Selective occlusion to remove visual information that is beyond what the injured brain can currently comfortable process
- Vision rehabilitation therapy, where we can teach the eyes to move, focus, and team more efficiently, and integrate with the rest of our senses again
Take Action For A Better Life
Because good vision can be so beneficial to all different aspects of brain injury rehabilitation, it is imperative that patients who have suffered from a brain injury be evaluated early in their path to recovery. A rehabilitative optometrist will be with you throughout your family’s entire journey, communicating with the rest of the patient’s care team and teachers so they understand how your vision impacts their treatments to help give you the best results.
If your child has struggled coping with symptoms after a brain injury, a comprehensive functional vision evaluation with an optometrist trained and experienced in brain injury rehabilitation might be what you need to take the next step forward. Connect with us at Brighter Outlook Vision to learn more during a free phone consultation.
