Neuro-Optometric assessment
Our brain is an amazingly complex organ, and the effects of a brain injury can vary greatly. A person who has suffered a brain injury (concussion, stroke, car accident) or any neurological condition (Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis etc) can experience various visual difficulties that need to be rehabilitated. Treatment that is offered may include the use of various spectacle lenses, prisms (yoked prisms), filters/tints, visual therapy, and general advice for the family and/or caregivers.
Vision problems that one may expect following a brain injury may include the following:
- Visual field loss
- Double vision
- Blurred vision
- Eye strain
- Photophobia – light sensitivity
- Poor eye tracking skills
They may also experience neurological visual difficulties in their spatial perception. These difficulties include problems with their:
- posture
- balance
- spatial orientation
- coordination problems
- difficulties judging the location of objects and feeling like they are about to fall over.
Early diagnosis and treatment of these visual difficulties is a critical component of the patient’s overall recovery. If these visual difficulties are not dealt with, they can impede in other rehabilitation therapies, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy etc, as well as prolong the patients return to normal daily activities. A collaborative, multi-disciplinary team approach in the care of brain injuries is an important part of the patient’s recovery plan.