We love sports, and today’s kids are signing up for multiple teams and seasons, transitioning from one sport to another. Long practices and intense varsity games, along with recreational pastimes like biking and skateboarding, can breed injuries. We want our children to enjoy the outdoors, get exercise and appreciate teamwork, but we also want them to be safe. Concussions can occur from elementary school-aged kids to adults, and research has shown us that every concussion diagnosis should be taken seriously.
Concussions affect many areas of the brain, but the vision system is one area that typically is affected more consistently when there’s an injury. At Vision For Life, someone suffering from concussion side effects can benefit substantially from vision therapy. A study published recently in the medical journal Optometry indicated that 90% of traumatic brain injury patients who underwent vision therapy had significant improvement in their eye movement disorders.
Some of the most common post-concussion symptoms that Vision For Life can help with include the following:
- Lack of attention and/or concentration
- Memory loss or slow retrieval
- Comprehension difficulties
- Blurred vision and/or double vision
- Headaches and aching eyes
- Sensitivity to light or glare
- Confusion with surroundings
- Inability to maintain visual contact
- Reduction or loss of depth perception and/or peripheral vision
- Reading issues: tracking words, focusing, or words seeming to move
- Eye alignment or eye teamwork problems
- Laboring to see near and/or distant objects clearly
When an individual is examined by an athletic trainer or doctor after an accident or injury, the medical staff assesses any complications. Visual issues may end up being overlooked. Our eyesight and our brain work in conjunction with each other, and a brain trauma can disrupt the visual process. After a concussion, that interference can cause temporary or long-term problems when not treated appropriately. Since things like concentration and comprehension issues can be affected after a concussion, it’s crucial to schedule an appointment at Vision For Life for a thorough vision exam.
Post-concussion, it’s our mission to identify and improve any visual symptoms to help brain injury patients while also strengthening the connection between the brain and the eyes. We can provide an extensive evaluation of all visual skills and offer options in colored light therapy and vision therapy.
It’s important to note that not every concussion results in a loss of consciousness after the injury occurs. Some falls, hits and bumps may not seem that severe. Regardless, a vision exam at Vision For Life is an important part of the diagnosis because no injury is too small or too large.
Want to learn more about Vision For Life and how we can help you? You can call us at (618) 288-1489 or find us online at https://visionforlifeworks.com/. Don’t delay if you or a loved one has suffered from a concussion. Chances for recovery are higher when addressed sooner rather than later.