Post concussion Issues
 

I have been dealing with post concussion syndrome for the past year. Any suggestions on how:
1. I still cannot watch t.v.
2. Limited time on computer
3. Light and glare sensitivity
4. Store stimuli, motion sensitivity, anxiety big time
5. Eye pain, naseau, reading issues
Symptoms slowly improved over 7 months - my symptoms ALL came back with a vengence! Even though the symtoms slowly improved they never really felt like they left my body -- they all seemed "stored up" in my brain just waiting to trigger off....Out of work now...Had an initial MRI of brain and cat scan and MRI neck, which was ok.. Disgusted -- the symptoms just wear you down -- have better and then just horrible days...going to see a developmental optometrist soon...the (3), yes three - optomologists I saw said -- gotta live with it -- one called it post concussion syndrome, another called it post trauma vision syndrome and the other had "no clue". However, retina and other cornea, etc. is ok acording to them...but when I look at a t.v. it seems like a nerve damage reaction.....ANY SUGGESTIONS for glasses or anything else. is welcome !!!!!...thanks....

Also, forgot to add to the above message from WalkerNY -- new to this and am not sure how to post or respond yet == saw 2 neurologists, any support groups on Long Island NY? Also, how can you tell if not being able to watch t.v. is a vistibular or a other eye related problem - I am a 58 year old woman who used to be in walking groups and active and this has completely changed me to a different person -- can a chiropractor help? thank you! Neurologist love to tell you -- take a anti depressant and anxiety meds and go away -- cant help you -- they really need to address this post concussion issue in todays society.....

WalkerNY,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You experience sound like par for the course with PCS.

Are you trying to watch Hi Def TV? It can provide too much visual information of a damaged brain to process. I need to use head phone so the audio stimulation is less. With head phones, my brain does not struggle to filter out the ambient sounds. This can lower the processing load on the visual system. Visual and audio process can trade off processing resources. Reducing load on one can enhance function of the other.

What things have you been doing to help your brain recover?

Nutrition, quiet rest, avoidance of stimulants, etc???

Did you have a shift in eye dominance? I used to be left eye dominant and now its somewhere in between. I'm always aware of my left eye and the more stimuli the more it hurts, also when I was at the eye Dr the left eye was seeing higher than the right, he checked it with the smaller prisms to see how much it was offset. I've been in a tbi clinic for 3 weeks going twice a week to pt and ot with both working on eye exercises. Good luck with the Dev. Opt. keep the sunglasses on (good ones that dont distort anything)

I don't know if this will help, it may not as every brain is different.

I suffered the concussion back in Jan 2012. I too have similar symptoms.

I went to the optometrist and got Velvatint lenses for my glasses, they help with the fluorescent lights. (they have a very light rosy tint to them that is unnoticeable on your face if you're worried people will notice!)

Also, my neurologist prescribed Amantadine for me. It is an antiviral flu drug but OM gosh. I used to have migraines LITERALLY 2 weeks straight out of the month and now I have only had 2 minor headaches in the last 2 weeks. (and this is my "bad" time right now) I also have more energy in the AM.

It could be coincidence, but it might not be. After 7 months of nonstop headache I was willing to try anything and who knows, it could be a placebo effect. But it's working so I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth!

*I should note that my neuro prescribed the Amantadine because he felt like I had improved a bit in my symptoms, kind of like progression of recovery? (if that makes sense)*

Like I said it might not help for you, and I am not suggesting that the medicine will work for everyone...but I wish you good luck and keep us posted please!!!!!

:hug:

Concussion questions
 

Thank you - I will mention that to my optemetrist next week. Did you have problems for a long time watching t.v. ? If so, did the glasses help with computer glare, light and t.v.? I find watching the change of scenes and all these flashing colors from a t.v. very troublesome and not worth the eye pain -- so then I do not watch t.v. for the next few weeks....did you have any trouble with the computer? thanks.

I did have issues watching tv. I think the tv we have has some different settings on it as far as brightness goes, so i set it to the dimmest as possible. But I have noticed, I can watch for about 1/2 hour to an hour and that's it. Still can't watch action movies because of fast motion, and flashes, too.


The glasses seem to help; I didn't notice as much at first when I tried them on in the dr. office, but when I am in stores and such, it does reduce the glare. (I don't even wear my contacts anymore because I love my lenses so much)


I was having computer issues, but I think it was Mark who suggested changing the background to an olive green (I have a Dell with Windows, and that is one of the color schemes) I also found the main menu button to lower the brightness and contrast, which helps tremendously.



Even with that (I work 8 hours a day and it is a lot of computer entry) I have to rest my eyes every 20 minutes or I get a raging headache. Even if it is just to look away and sit for a few minutes, that is what I have to do.



I really hope this helps! I am glad that you are going to talk to the optometrist about it! Let me know how the appointment goes! :hug:


P.S. I just read a thread in "Flourescents, my arch nemesis..." and Xanadu00 called the lenses this:
"See if you can get prescription tinted glasses for light sensitivity. The tint that is normally used to help with fluorescent lights is called FL-41; it's a reddish tint that filters out blue wavelengths. "

So that explains how they work, I guess, and if they don't offer Velvatint, try calling it what Xanadu00 did!!! :)

Just a quick suggestion for the computer. I to have vision issues with it, you may want to try a privacy filter over your lcd screen. They help reduce eye strain I find, also you could try using a program f.lux which has been mentioned in this forum. It softens the intensity of the lighting and can adjust by time of day.

For a cheap experiment for fluorescent lights, look on some online retailers for safety glasses by uvex with the Vermillion tint. Some use those for light and monitor sesitivity. I am experimenting with them this weekend, pretty cheap to try.

Forgot to add a few comments. I can watch some TV now, but for me to do so I had to remove all the mini fluroscent bulbs in my house and replace them with the old school incadescent bulbs. I felt better overall after doing so.

Also, I often wear sunglasses when going out into shopping malls for a little bit. I used to wear polarized sunglasses which did help but I was still very sensitive. Recently I started experimenting with lenses, tints and UV filtration.

Currently I wear a pair of VedaloHD sunglasses, they are supposed to block up to a 440nm UV range and 96% of the blue light spectrum according to their site. They have helped immensely in commercial settings or going to outdoor functions with lot's of people. Perhaps placebo or simply improvement of my eyesight but I find a difference.

Two years post concussion, highly sensitive to sound/light. It's just not worth it for me to watch t.v., as soon as I turn it on, it's just to white. The scenes change to quickly, the flickering of the light hurts my eyes, headaches. At home I live by candlelight and color lights, color doesn't seem to be as painful. My computer time is limited to about 10 minutes, that's it. I'm done. I have no idea how I even blog on this site, very confusing for me. I've tried to figure out how to post on this site for months, think I did it the other day, but now will never remember how to do it again.