Questions about vision & eye doctors
 

I have read lots of posts by members about neuro-opthomologists and vision exercises and I have a couple of questions.

My vision seems to be getting worse since my concussion so I guess I need to get new glasses. Are regular vision doctors able to help with my vision or do I need to see my neurologist? What is the purpose of the eye exercises?

When I drive somewhere I tend to park way over to the right of the parking space and about 2 feet back so I have to back out of the parking spot and redo my parking. Obviously my depth perception is off. :D Also, when I have to drive after dark I have trouble seeing the traffic lanes and feel blinded by oncoming headlights.

I still have eye pain & my headaches intensify if I do too much reading or concentrating and of course from too much light. Could the vision problem be the cause of the dizziness I still feel?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Hi, welcome to this thread.

I am still learning a lot about these issues, as I am only 11 months post accident and pcs/mtbi. Vision and vestibular issues continue to be may main focus of recovery currently.

It is common for the eyes to change after an accident, as the eye/vision is directly connected to the brain and adjusts to trauma.

The light sensitivity, depth perception and night driving capabilities are often challenges, but most will naturally compensate over time (3 months, but I may be wrong here).

Your usual doctor can evaluate your eyes and give a new prescription. I have heard yellow tints help ease night driving, short breaks from reading and practice/exposure will help with the depth perception skills.

Reading and computer use are often hard after a concussion, but some
warning signs that a neuro-ophthalmologist may be needed include:

seeing double vision while seated (or while driving and walking),
difficulty reading (text floats, hard to focus on text).
a sense of flatness (2-D vs 3-D),
the inability to read text without visual discomfort,
difficulty concentrating while reading,
eye strain, or throbbing when reading,
headaches/migraines after reading

I couldn't watch tv, read email or any books, without triggering extreme headaches and migraines. When I did try, my right eye felt like it was moving away, or flickering.

Prism glasses and vision therapy have helped, but I am still encountering difficulty (but I think this has to do with my vestibular issues).

Best of luck!

Post Traumatic Vision Syndrome
 

Hi,

You can try googling Post traumatic vision syndrome and see if the symptoms fit.

I also have Vision mid line shift syndrome, which is when what you think is the middle of your face is off centre. This may account for parking over too far. I am wearing prism glasses to try and correct this.

I also have convergence insufficienties which when you are trying to read both eyes need to converge to read the print. When I try to read for longer than 1/2 hour my eyes water, burn and I will get a head ache. I do vizual edge therapy on line to help with the convergence issue as well as training to help with visual tracking.

When my eyes are sore my vision is blurred and it can last for days, your vision might seem worst due to the blurring.

To answer your question, I went twice to an eye doctor to be told there is nothing wrong with my eyes.

It was only the neuro opthamologist who new what the issues were. I was apparently a text book case, and yet other eye professionals had no idea.

I still avoid watching t.v., reading and being on the computer too long. It is really boring..... but I really suffer if I use my eyes too much.

Good luck, I would think it would be worth going to the neuro opthamologist just to make sure you do not have any of these issues. I was also told that it can take between 6 months and 2 years for therapy. I have seen other post which site 3 to 5 years.

Yes, go to a neuro op
 

Please, and soon. Anything that causes you to feel eye pain, don't do it. You don't want to end up like me. I'm sorry I can't explain more but my current problems prevent me from looking at any screens whatsoever for more than 2 minutes a few times a day.