Post-Concussion Vision Rehabilitation

What is a concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic injury to the brain. This usually results from a violent bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body. A concussion can disrupt normal brain function. Common causes of concussions include sports collisions and injuries, automobile accidents, and falls. A concussion is also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

What is Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS)?

PTVS refers to deficits in the areas of the brain that are involved in various aspects of visual function. PTVS includes more specific diagnoses such as egocentric visual midline shift, oculomotor (eye movement) dysfunction, accommodative (eye focusing) dysfunction, binocular vision (eye teaming) dysfunction, and more.

For motor vehicle accident (MVA) cases, we are able to complete OCF-18 Treatment and Assessment Plans directly with Health Claims for Auto Insurance (HCAI).

Symptoms

Symptoms of PTVS include dizziness, headaches, blurry vision, double vision, difficulty reading (losing one’s place, re-reading the same line, or inability to recall what was read), difficulty changing focus from near to far (and vice versa), motion sensitivity, light sensitivity, feeling overwhelmed in crowded or busy environments, difficulty navigating through space, difficulty balancing, trouble with depth perception, and difficulty with visual memory.

What is included in Post-Concussion/PTVS Assessment?

The Post-Concussion/PTVS Assessment is an in-depth visual skills assessment that evaluates eye alignment, eye teaming, eye focusing, eye movement (scanning and tracking), gaze stability, visual-vestibular integration function, visual-motor function, visual-spatial interpretation (including visual midline shift), and visual-perceptual analysis (including visual memory).

It is expected that a primary care eye examination has been performed after the traumatic incident but prior to the PTVS Assessment to rule out any primary diagnoses. If you do not have a regular eye doctor, we are happy to provide primary eye care examinations prior to the PTVS assessment. If you have a regular eye doctor, we can arrange to get your previous examination results.

If you have an active auto insurance claim with HCAI, it may cover the Post-Concussion/PTVS Assessment and recommended Vision Rehabilitation Therapy or prescription glasses. Contact us today to begin the HCAI OCF-18 process, or fill out our online HCAI patient intake form here.

What are treatments for PTVS?

To treat PTVS, Individually prescribed glasses with specialized features can be recommended to improve visual comfort. In addition, a vision rehabilitation program can be recommended to restore the visual functions and address any deficits uncovered during the assessment. The rehabilitation program is individually customized and it consists of regular in-office sessions with daily home activities. Vision rehabilitation is a specialized form of vision therapy geared towards post-concussion patients.