I'm wondering what can be done to help manage this. Specifically, are there any therapies that will help the brain to gain this function back or any work around accommodations that you know of.

My biggest issue with visual processing is looking at fine details like words on a page, the busier the page, the worse it is to look at. Driving can be overwhelming if there's lots of cars to process at high speeds.

I have some auditory problems and problems with excessive stimulus as well, but those aren't as big of issue.

I can study my textbook for 15-20 minutes at a time. I most often cover up the other page not used with a piece of black paper and parts of the page currently on that aren't being read.

Reading on my kindle with larger font and bigger spacing is helpful. I can read for longer than the 15-20, which is less taxing than the studying.

I'm trying to heal my brain and slowly get back these processing abilities, but I'm also wondering what things I can do to accommodate right now and still "live life." Gradually building up and going to my limit, then backing off has been helping.

I realize that it may seem like I'm focusing on the details, and I am, but I'm also trying to understand my limitations, how to improve my health, and find workarounds for my limitations.

Thanks!

I can only tell you, what helped me, I finally had enough and said I'll just fight through it and live my life rather then worrying about my symptoms, i started working out again, being active, i believe forcing my self to get get active helped me, exercise releases dopamine makes you start feeling better which i was lacking a lot of, after some time i noticed i was feeling a lot better

i had similar issues couldn't read more then a few sentences, i couldnt search for stuff, if I was looking for a shirt in a closet or anything really couldnt do it for very long,

but now I am able to read stuff and what not

also maybe try and read outdoors sitting on the porch or something, fresh air is always good

Why do you used black paper ? To me, black, being the same color as the type, would compete for my eyes' attention.

If you are struggling to pull the information into your mind, you could try reading aloud. That can help your brain absorb the material studied.

Sometimes, the brain gets fatigued by the strain to grasp the material read.

You could also take notes of what you are reading. The term for this is 'multi-sensory learning.' You take a visual learning task and make it auditory bu reading aloud and tactile by writing it down.

It may be worth experimenting with different background sounds. If you brain is trying to also pay attention to the ambient sounds, there may be a sound it can ignore. For me, a CD or playlist of music that I have heard many times before allows my brain to let go of auditory stimulation because it already knows the music and what to expect. Keeping the same order is helpful. Shuffling the music does not work for me.

I struggled with this for a few years and still struggle with certain tasks.

Can your Kindle read the words into ear buds so you can read along ? It would be worth a try.

I know it can be frustrating to find the work arounds but keep trying.

My best to you.

Hi JBuckl,

I'm 5 years post concussion and have been lurking on neuro talk for a few years now but I've never posted. Some of your recent posts have made me respond because I feel like what we are going through is similar. I'm 20 years old and I was injured playing rugby and mostly stuggle with light/sound sensitivity and reading processing plus auditory processing. But my new treatments that I have been doing, I feel have been significantly helping with these issues.

I started vision therapy a few months ago (I can't remember if you have tried that yet), but I am noticing huge improvements to my overstimulation from reading. For example, if I feel I'm getting fatigued and overstimulated, I can pay attention to my eye movements and make sure I'm moving them in the way I move them for my exercises and it will get rid of my overstimulation. My optometrist also recommends that when studying, you should put a bookmark 2 pages ahead of where you are reading and when you get there spend 20seconds staring at the wall and then continue and repeat. She also gave me a slightly lens with a magnification in it so it eases the strain on my eyes when reading. This might help have the same effect as you reading on your kindle with larger letters.

I'm also doing a noise desensitization program for noise sensitivity and will be starting rehab for auditory procession disorder soon. When I have more to say about these treatments I will post on here about them. I think the noise desensitization is working but it's too early to tell for sure.

In the mean time, I would love to talk to you about your experience because I do believe what we are going through is similar and it's always good to hear from someone who understands. So feel free to PM me at any time

Yeup, I started vision therapy a few months ago. It’s helping, but I believe my biggest issue is neuroinflammation. I started up a high dose of curcumin, fish oil, flavonoids, and recently resveratrol, and that’s helped a lot.

“My optometrist also recommends that when studying, you should put a bookmark 2 pages ahead of where you are reading and when you get there spend 20seconds staring at the wall and then continue and repeat.”

I like that idea--I’ll try it!

The lens sounds interesting. Can you explain it a little bit more?

Awesome! Can you tell me a little bit about the noise desensitization--like what do you do?

I’ve actually been interested in auditory processing as well. Visual processing is something that seems to be a bigger deal at the moment, but I know I definitely have some auditory deficits.

I will send you a PM as soon as I can!

-Jbuckl

So on my lens I have a few different features.

1)There is a slight grey tint on it. She had me try a few different colour tints in the sunlight and then decide which one felt better to get the shade. Some people prefer other colours

2)I also have a blue light reflector on my lens for light sensitivity to help with screen time because I struggle with screens a lot still.

3) Then the last thing is the magnification that I mentioned before. I'm not sure what the type of lens is called, but I can find out next time I go to therapy; it's just a slight magnification. I can barely tell it's magnified but I find it helps my eye strain.

The noise desensitisation is basically a variation of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy.

The idea behind it is that when you are sitting in silence your ears are still listening for noise, so if you spend a lot of time in silence or with earplugs in, your ears become more sensitive to noise over time, because they are used to reaching to hear noise that most people would not notice or hear.

The typical cycle is 1) do too much 2) sit in a dark room until you feel better 3) do to much again 4) repeat and/or become very reliant on earplugs.

Since I started the therapy I have very soft noise in my ears at all times playing at a level that is quiet enough that it doesn't bother me but not quiet enough that I have to "reach for it." Since I'm so oversensitive the level is currently still set lower than the lowest volume on my phone headphones.

I have to wear these Hearing aid-looking devices all day long.

There is a normal white noise setting set to a low volume.

Then a louder white noise setting that I use when in noisy environments.

Some relaxing music that I use when reading, and then more busy noise that I use in chaotic environments like the mall or a noisy restaurant.

It can also be synced with a phone or tablet to stream music.

I also have white noise playing in the background off of an app on my phone at night when I sleep.

As I get used to the level the noise is set at and it starts to sound quieter/I start having to "reach for it", my audiologist raises the volume to the next level and then I get used to that noise level, and then it gets raised again.

It took me a few weeks to get used to having noise in my ears all the time but once I got used to it, it seems like it is helping.

It's not supposed to be a quick fix, it can take up to a year to fully work but you should start seeing improvements right away.

I'll be sure to post more information once I can be more sure it is helping because when researching the treatment online, I found a lot of contradictory information about what the treatment does, so I was very sceptical. But I've been very impressed by my audiologist's knowledge and guidance so far.

"The typical cycle is 1) do too much 2) sit in a dark room until you feel better 3) do to much again 4) repeat and/or become very reliant on ear plugs"

Just ignore this part of my post please. It doesn't really make much sense in the context I put it in. That's what I get for trying to edit my post on my phone!

You can buy 1+ add reading glasses at the dollar store. They can help with those eye strain issues. It can also work to read some text then close your eyes and repeat the text to yourself. This will help with retention. It is amazing how closing your eyes can help you cognitively process what you just read. Same goes for lectures if they do not require reading a black/white board.

I would suspect that with careful observation, you will find signs that you are reaching your limit of eye fatigue. Any need to reread a line of text has always been my indicator. If I stop reading and move to something else for even a moment, I can go back to reading. Those short breaks at the first minimal sign of fatigue are very beneficial. The opto uses the 2 pages as a preset fatigue limit but for me, 2 pages would have been too much during the early stage.

ConcussedButHopeful

What kind of blue-light filter do you have in your glasses? Thanks

The blue light filter is a type of Re-Charge Coating. It took some getting used to but I think it helps a bit with screen time, but to be completely honest, probably not a whole lot. I got the lens suggested by my optometrist because I thought I might as well try it since it was covered by my insurance, but I won't say it is the biggest help.

Sunglasses of the right tint can't also block the same light and on bad days I still use my super dark sunglasses. It would probably be most helpful for someone who works in an office job, particularly if they did not want to be wearing sunglasses at work.

Also, while I'm posting, my lens is called a dynamic 8 lens and the magnification in it is +0.8