The Law Offices of Chaikin and Sherman, P.C.
Toll Free - 800.229.8384
Phone - 202.659.8600
Fax - 202.659.8680
Brain Injury and Vision Problems
Maryland, Virginia, & Washington, D.C.
Obviously, head injuries involving direct injury to the eye can cause vision problems; so can brain injuries that affect the area of the brain responsible for vision. Brain injuries can affect all of your sensory perception. Vision is affected when the brain cannot interpret the message from your eyes properly, when the connection between your eyes and your brain is disrupted, and when your brain cannot fully control the movement and function of your eyes.
Vision problems caused by brain injuries include:
- Blurred vision
- Double vision
- Nearsightedness (myopia)
- Light intolerance (photosensitivity)
- Glare
- Difficulty reading
- Words which appear to move
- Inability to maintain visual contact
- Aching eyes
- Loss of visual field
- Problems with eye movements (including focusing)
- Wandering eye
- Problems with spatial perception
Loss of visual field
Loss of visual field is the loss of part or all of your vision on one side. Depending on the type and extent of damage to the brain, you may or may not even be aware of the loss of vision. Loss of visual field can create a safety hazard including:
- Bumping into objects
- Falls
- Auto accidents
Difficulty with eye movements
Eye movement involves far more than just turning your eyes to look around. Several types of eye movement can be affected by brain injury including:
- Focusing - the ability of the lens of the eye to make the tiny adjustments needed to see clearly, called accommodation
- Tracking - aiming of the eyes
- Binocular vision - both eyes working together
- Saccadics - shifting your gaze quickly
More than difficulty seeing clearly
The vision problems caused by brain injuries can exacerbate other symptoms of brain injury such as headaches and fatigue. They can make reading difficult or impossible, even when vision otherwise seems fine. Brain injuries affecting the visual system can also change the way your brain perceives your environment, affecting the way that you walk and move.
Treating vision problems caused by brain injury
Most vision problems are caused by a misshapen cornea or a disease or condition of the eye. Vision problems caused by brain injury are very different because they are neurological in nature. A regular eye exam and vision test may show no problem at all. Neuro-optometrists specialize in diagnosis and treating vision problems caused by brain injury and other neurological events. Vision therapy is used to treat not only the obvious vision problems caused by brain injury, but can result in an improvement in symptoms which do not appear to be vision related.
If you or a loved one has suffered any type of traumatic brain injury in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC, please email or call our skilled brain injury attorneys today. We are committed to obtaining justice for you - the victim.
