Your brain and your eyes are connected. You can suffer a traumatic brain injury that will likely affect the eyes. Ninety percent of people who suffer concussions or brain injuries have vision problems afterward. The issues usually clear within a week; in some cases, they persist. Doctors refer to this as Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS). 

Treatment for PTVS

Without apparent injury to your eyes, you can have vision problems following a brain injury. You can be physically healthy but have a communication problem between your eyes and brain. Crucially, the miscommunication can cause life-changing symptoms. To help you avert this risk, doctors will give you neuro-optometric rehabilitation. 

What Is Neuro-optometric Rehabilitation?

The treatment helps relieve the disabling visual symptoms that result from brain injuries and concussions. It is also effective for children who experience developmental delays. As neuro-optometric rehabilitation is noninvasive and painless, there is no cause for you to worry. 

The process starts with a consultation to establish the scope of your injury. The exam is more in-depth than regular eye exams. It analyzes the communication between your brain and your visual system. The doctor will check how the injuries affect your day-to-day activities. They will examine how you read, move, and balance.
 

Afterward, they will develop a treatment plan that will help restore your vision. It does this by rehabilitating the communication between your eyes and the brain. It integrates your visuals with other senses, improving your information processing and visual-motor function.

What Does It Involve?

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation involves the use of therapeutic lenses. These include ambient or prism lenses. You may need to wear these lenses for a short-term or long-term period. The treatment may also involve computer-based activities. 

These are specific and improve your neural functioning. At the end of the rehabilitation, your body will redevelop its brain-eye communication. You will regain control of your visual system.

Types of Neuro-optometric Rehabilitation

The treatment the doctor applies to each case will vary. It depends on your needs and the severity of your condition. However, they may include the following:

Prism Lenses

These deal with double vision and other binocular vision problems. These can affect your balance and compromise your visual-motor skills. Prism lenses allow your brain to perceive the images as one image. They restore balance, allowing you to go about your daily activities. As time passes, the eyes regain the ability to perceive images and relay the correct information to the brain.

Patching

It is as simple as placing a patch on one eye to eliminate double vision. It is the first step before doctors resort to using prism lenses.

Prescription Lenses

These are specific eyeglasses that help bring clear vision and enhance visual comfort. They compensate for any neural damage present.

Vision Therapy

The treatment focuses on improving peripheral vision, hand-eye coordination, eye tracking, and other visual skills. It restores the communication between your eyes, brain, and body.

For more information on vision care after a concussion or brain injury, call (267) 500-9600 to reach Holistic Vision in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.