When someone experiences a concussion, the immediate focus is often on rest and managing symptoms like headaches and dizziness.

However, the often-overlooked connection between brain injury and vision can significantly impede recovery.

Brain Injury Awareness Week raises awareness of brain injury and its impact on people’s lives. Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury which occurs because of a blow to the head, neck or body. The most common causes of concussion include:
• Falls
• Car accidents
• Sport or recreational activities
• Workplaces accidents
• Assault including domestic and family violence

Many patients go to see their optometrist with visual symptoms which may be related to one or more concussions, but they don’t tell them that they’ve had a concussion. So they may have a number of pairs of glasses prescribed which have not solved their symptoms.

At least 20 per cent of people – children and adults – will have suffered one or more concussions and have visual symptoms which they may not connect to the concussion.

People who play any code of football are at significant risk of concussion and visual problems.

Vision isn’t just about clear sight; it’s a complex process involving communication between your eyes and your brain.

The brain is responsible for:

• Controlling eye movements – ensuring your eyes move together smoothly and accurately.
• Focusing the eyes.
• Processing visual information – interpreting shapes, colours, motion, and depth.
• Integrating vision with other senses – understanding your position in space and how you react to the environment you are in.

A concussion, even a mild one, can disrupt these delicate neural pathways. The brain’s ability to coordinate and process visual information can be compromised, leading to a variety of visual symptoms that can be debilitating and frustrating.

These can include:

• Difficulty reading due to words blurring or moving.
• Trouble tracking moving objects (e.g., in traffic).
• Eye strain and fatigue, especially with screen time.
• Sensitivity to light that makes everyday activities uncomfortable.
• Balance issues.
• Perceptual problems, such as difficulty with depth perception or spatial awareness.

Your optometrists has been trained in the anatomy, function, and pathology of the visual system, from the eye itself to its connections with the brain. This makes them uniquely suited to help those who are recovering from a concussion.

Neuro-optometrists can help relieve post-concussion symptoms.

They have:

• Specialised diagnostic tools to evaluate eye teaming, focusing flexibility, eye movement control, and visual processing speed – all areas frequently affected by concussion. They can identify the visual dysfunctions caused by the brain injury.
• Targeted treatment plans that may involve:
• Therapeutic Lenses: specialised glasses, such as prism lenses to correct eye alignment issues, or coloured filters to reduce light sensitivity and visual discomfort.
• Customised Vision Therapy: a program of exercises designed to retrain the brain and eyes to work together more efficiently. This can improve eye tracking, focusing, depth perception, and overall visual processing, helping to alleviate symptoms and restore function.
• Environmental Modifications: advising on ways to reduce visual stress in daily life, such as optimising lighting, managing screen time, and organising workspaces.

It’s important tell your Optometrist if you have a recent concussion, or if you have any history of concussion – even if it happened years ago and you feel your vision is back to normal.

Why?

• Subtle Symptoms May Be Missed: Many visual symptoms of concussion are subtle and may not be obvious to you. You might have unconsciously adapted to compensate, masking underlying issues.
• Future Care: Knowing your concussion history allows your optometrist to establish a baseline for your visual function and monitor for any long-term or re-emerging issues.
• Proactive Intervention: Early identification and intervention of visual problems can significantly improve recovery outcomes and prevent chronic visual challenges.

Your optometrist is not just there to check your prescription. They are a critical resource in understanding and addressing the complex visual changes that can occur after a brain injury.