Traumatic brain injuries range from being mild to severe, and depending on how severe they are, they can affect the victim’s life in various ways.
Brain injuries can cause permanent physical disabilities and cognitive problems that can make even daily activities difficult. A large percentage of people who suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) develop visual problems such as binocular visual dysfunction (BVD). In this post, we will discuss binocular visual dysfunction, and how it affects the TBI patient.
Whenever a traumatic brain injury occurs, it often causes an interruption of the neurological system as well. This can damage the extra ocular muscles, the nerves that control eye movements and the system that regulates focusing.
One of the common visual problems that a person can suffer after a traumatic brain injury is binocular visual dysfunction (BVD). Binocular vision pertains to the alignment of the eyes. BVT is a visual condition in which the line of sight from one eye tends to be out of alignment with the line of sight from the second eye. This tends to put a lot of strain on eye muscles, because they have to constantly try to correct the alignment in order to achieve single focus vision. The condition can occur during a traumatic brain injury that causes damage to the muscles or nerves in the eye, which in turn causes imbalance and lack of alignment.
Some common effects of this strain on eye muscles or nerves can have the following effects on the TBI patient:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Disorientation
- Reading difficulties
As the eye muscles continue to strain in order to keep the line of sight aligned so as to prevent double or blurred vision, the eye muscles tend to become strained and overused, which can result in many of the symptoms of BVD.
Besides eye muscle strain, another corrective measure is for the head to tilt slightly. This can result in neck pain and some other symptoms of BVD. The brain automatically tries to compensate by head tilting and straining eye muscles.
Common symptoms of BVD
- Difficulty reading
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Unsteadiness
- Nausea
- Poor depth perception
- Clumsiness
- Headaches and face pain
- Motion sickness
- Neck pain
- Eye pain
- Head tilt
- Fatigue
- Double vision
Treatment of BVD
Binocular visual dysfunction (BVD) can be treated by visual therapy and by realigning the eyes using prismatic lenses. Prism correction is also added as a component in eyeglass prescriptions.
It is important that the victim of traumatic brain injury reports all vision problems to the treating doctors so that they can be treated along with the other symptoms. It is best to consult an ophthalmologist, who has experience in treating muscle and nerve damage to the eyes caused by a TBI.
If you have suffered a TBI in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, discuss your case with an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer. To schedule a free and private consultation, give Willines Injury Law Offices a call today at: (312) 957-4166.
