If you have ever experienced a concussion, t
here are a number of symptoms that relate to the connection between vision function and concussions. These symptoms can include:
- –blurred vision – especially when reading
- –headaches associated with reading
- –poor reading comprehension
- –frequent loss of place when reading
When having these symptoms, then what?
"
For the student athlete, these symptoms can have a huge effect on
learning and school performance. These vision problems can also linger
months after the initial pain and headaches associated with the
concussion have gone away. The most common causes of these problems are
a convergence insufficiency (eyes that don’t work well together at
near) and/or accommodative (focusing) insufficiency following the
injury.
The good news is that these vision problems respond well to
optometric intervention. Treatment usually consists of a combination of
glasses for reading and optometric vision therapy. These treatments
allow the student to return to their academic activities much sooner
than just waiting for things to clear up on their own."
I also wanted to touch base on a test that can be performed on the sidelines of sports events to make return-to-game decisions. We have heard or seen athletes go back into a game after experiencing a concussion. Long- and short-term effects can be very dangerous.
After a concussion the ability to perform saccadic eye movements (changing gaze) will be impaired. "Saccadic eye movements are very complex and require coordination
across a wide network of anatomical structures in the brain. Concussions have immediate impact on the brain’s networking skills. The
result is decreased performance on tests of saccadic eye movements,
especially subjective procedures that require a verbal response from the
athlete.
The King-Devick Test has been used to evaluate the eye movement
skills of children, especially those with learning and reading
problems. Now, it can be used on the sidelines of sports events to make
return-to-game decisions! A decrease in performance from a baseline
measurement is a very strong indicator that the athlete has suffered a
concussion and should not be allowed to return to the playing field
until evaluated by a neurologist."
The King-Devick might look very familiar to most of you that have had your child perform the Perceptual Motor Evaluation here at our office. Take a look at this video:
Please spread the word about the King-Devick Test. It can make a huge difference in a lot of athletes lives. If you or someone you know has recently had a concussion go to your local optometrist and neurologist.
Some of the information was taken from COVD blogs here:
There's More to Concussions than Meets the Eye
Eye Protect Brain
In my last blog post, I referenced the most popular blogs. All were connected on how to make therapy more fun. They are popular because doing therapy the recommended 6 times a week can be challenging and by making it more fun it becomes easier.
