My Eyes are still hurting a lot!
 

While my vision therapy is causing demonstrable improvement in my vision, my eye strain is still unbearable. I cannot use a computer AT ALL anymore, because I just would end up overdoing it and setting myself back further. So since my last setback three weeks ago, I have only been using my iPhone. I guess it doesn't bother me as much, because it is a smaller light source, and I turn the brightness down as far as possible. I also place a rectangle cut from a blue transparency sheet over it, to help block some of the glare, and I limit my iPhone usage to 2 hours or less per day. I cannot read a normal book or magazine for more than five minutes without my eyes feeling terribly strained, and if I spend an hour reading my Nook with the largest possible font, my eyes will hurt the rest of the day. It's not worth it.

I thought reading and writing were my life, until this happened, but now I know I am more than that. Still, I miss it so much! If I skip my eye exercises, I can do a lot more, so I know they are really hard on my eyes. I skip them once a week so I can have a day that I can do a little reading. Has anyone experienced vision therapy causing more eye strain? Does this get better? Any insight? Advice? I just want to be able to read again! I'm losing patience!

I'm just curious what kind therapy are you doing for your light sensitivity? I too have this! But I'm going to see a neuroopthamologist for this and hopefully she can help me. I wonder if these are connneted with headaches?

Thank you. Take care.

Traditional vision therapy
 

I'm doing traditional vision therapy right now, but my doc will be mixing in some more sensory integration therapy (which is apparently controversial but has proved life changing for me), in order to try to address some of the light sensitivity. The two eye exercises I'm doing currently at home are "push-ups" and looking through prisms, which double the vision, and working on making it singular. Have you seen a neuro-opthamologist or neuro-optometrist yet? If not, I'd research it and make an appointment to be evaluated.

P.S.
 

Yes, it can be linked to headaches, but at this point, I only get headaches if I do something stupid, like go outside without sunglasses on or drive for two hours straight. Oh, and wearing hats REALLY helps with sensitivity to sunlight. I wear sunglasses and hats everywhere at this point. I'm not a hat wearer, so I didn't do it for a long time, but it really does make a huge difference.

Vision Therapy does hurt my eyes
 

Hi,

I am doing vision therapy using a computer program called vizual edge. I have three exercises: depth perception, stabilization and tracking. The program is actually for athletes to increase there performance by improving there sight but it works for others. I also do a gaze stabilization exercise every day (turn my head to one side and look at my finger at the opposite side - 30 times). I have found that my eyes burn a lot and are sore, but my neuro opthamologist said if it is sore you have hit onto the right things. I always have a headache and I believe it is from the vision issues. The post traumatic vision syndrome gives you a low blink rate which can dry out your eyes, I make a point of blinking a lot and it has been suggested to use liquid tears.

I know what you mean about reading, I would love to read or watch t.v. and when I start it is hard to make me stop and if I don't I can pay for it for days. It has still been suggested that I should not drive because my vision reaction is extremely slow.

I now have prism reading glasses and they also sent my prism sun glasses which they mistakenly put my reading prescription in (boy did I have a hard time figuring that out).

CBC radio has been my saviour and I listen to it for hours every day, but I admit I am so bored and it is hard to keep depression at bay when you really can't do anything which is enjoyable. I miss a lot of my kids events.

My neuro opthamologist says it can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. I am in accounting as a profession and I can't really work until I get working vision, I find it extremely slow and there are some who have not had a great deal of success while other have had life changing experience.

I am going to Toronto in July to be given more vision therapy instruction. It is too far (5 hours) for me to go weekly for therapy so they are to teach me how to do it at home.

How long have you been doing the therapy? It took me almost a year to get diagnosed.

Good luck

I can't work either but because of messed up circumstances, I'm not on disability. Thankfully though, I am receiving severance pay for the next four months.

I did sensory integration therapy the month of March and started vision therapy in April, so about a month and a half of the traditional vision therapy. It also took me a long time to get diagnosed--2+ years from my first symptoms, but 6 months after my PCS diagnosis. Unfortunately, I was doing better and better for those 6 months, becoming less sensitive to light and more able to use my eyes, but I kept using the computer even when my eyes would start to get strained. That proved to be my downfall! I ended up blowing out my eyes right before my neuro-op appointment (that's the best way I can describe it!), and it's really only been downhill from there in terms of my eye strain. It took me a while to figure out I just can't use the computer AT ALL.

I wish I could go back in time and do things differently because this setback has just been huge. I'm just waiting for the gradual improvements I see when doing my vision therapy to start making a real tangible difference in how well my eyes process the world around me.

Not sure if you still go on here anymore, but I'd love to know how you recovered and dealt with your eye strain because I'm dealing with the exact same type of symptoms and eye strain from vestibular therapy and extra stimulation.

Norma has not been on NT in 2 years and DFayesMom not in 4 years.

Zack, You need to get assessed by a behavioral optometrist. The Carrick protocol may be doing you in. Check out Canadian Optometrists in Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation

You can also google 'behavioral optometry ottawa ' There are a few clinics in the area. Ask about concussion based injuries.

Ya I'm gonna do that next week since they're not open on weekends, however in the meantime, and I apologize for bothering everyone with the same question, but I need advice on what to do regarding my eyes. They feel strained 24/7 because I think I overdid them with visual stimulation and the eye excercises. So should I not do anymore eye excercises and wait till my eyes return to normal or keep doing the eye excercises and cut them down by 50%?

I thought you were just doing vestibular exercises. What eye exercises are you doing ?

exercises with popsicle sticks moving my eyes back and forth, focusing on target on the popsicle stick and moving my head in a yes yes and no no motion, and balance exercises.

I'm just really anxious to take care of my eye problem, and the fact that they're 'burning'/strained leads me to believe that I'm setting myself back, especially since a headache I presume is a result of my eyes has come back.

Did the chiro diagnose a visual problem ? Double vision, convergence insufficiency, etc.?

Many find that they need to resolve one issue before treating the second. If you have a vision issue that needs therapy and a vestibular issue, you may want to treat just the vision issue and not treat the vestibular until the vision is improving.

It appears Carrick wants to use a shotgun approach by trying to treat everything at once. That can be a heavy load for a struggling brain.

Some people are tempted to overdo the therapy thinking more is better, especially if they have so much time to fill. That is usually not the case.

btw, It may take weeks to see improvements with your eyes. Please don't be in a hurry. The brain has a limit to how fast it can heal or adapt.

I've been here on NT since 2009. I frequently see people like you who are so determined to get better that they push too hard and are far too anxious. Often, they go backwards until they slow down with their expectations. The "I want my life back !" mantra is the kiss of death to recovery if it causes anxiety and over-doing it. Some have spent a year or more pushing with no improvements. Then, out of exhaustion, frustration and desperation, they resign to the fact they are injured and slow down and THEN they start improving.

That's the best advice anyone has given me in these last few months. Is there any chance I can share the Carrick chiro's diagnosis for me via email as I extremely appreciate your advice and opinion since you seem to be the most knowledgable person I've talked to about all aspects of post concussion syndrome.

Left click on my screen name and select Send Email.

I'm looking to attach the report I scanned and it doesn't seem to give me an option to do that

Send me an email with your address and I will reply back
Then, you will have my address

"More is better" is a lifetime habit - the more exercise the fitter you get.
I too applied that logic after all it served me well in the past.

And herein lies the wisdom of the neuro physio I now have advising me 'Less is better/more and do it slowly.'

Then he reinforces 'Quality not quantity.'

Have found out I can't fault his logic for am getting results.

Excellent advice Mark of Idaho - now if only our therapists could take it on board.

I apologize for asking a similar question over and over but what should I do if my eyes have been stinging/strained for the past few days, pretty sure because I overworked them. Should I give them a few days to rest then cut my exercises by 50% or just cut my exercises by 50%?