In many cases, patients who sustain a traumatic brain injury have vision problems as a result of the injury. Because there is a close relationship between vision and the brain, TBI can disrupt the visual process, interfering with the flow and processing of information.
One of the most common causes for loss of vision following head trauma is traumatic optic neuropathy. This condition involves damage to the optic nerves resulting from trauma to the head. Patients with traumatic optic neuropathy can experience sudden vision loss. In some cases, the injury may not be apparent for hours, days, or even months after the traumatic event. In other cases, the damage may not be detected until a routine examination.
The visual problems that patients can experience as the result of TBI include:
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light, glare sensitivity
- Reading difficulties; words appear to move
- Comprehension difficulty
- Attention and concentration difficulty
- Memory difficulty
- Double vision
- Aching eyes
- Headaches with visual tasks
- Inability to maintain visual contact
- Reduction or loss of visual field
- Difficulties with eye movements, such as:
- Reduced eye tracking ability
- Difficulty shifting gaze quickly from one point to the other
- Problems focusing
- Problems with eye alignment
- Visual field loss