Traumatic Brain Injuries & Vision

It’s not uncommon for someone who experiences a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to develop visual problems. A TBI can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. TBIs can range in severity from mild to severe—in fact, the CDC says that most TBIs that occur in the United States are mild and more commonly known as concussions.

Each year, TBIs contribute to a substantial number of disability cases. A short- or long-term loss in vision quality is just one of the many symptoms an individual may experience. A TBI can also impact attention and memory, coordination and balance, hearing, perception, and touch. Personality changes, aggressive behavior, poor impulse control, and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, can also appear after a TBI.  

In addition to cognitive, physical, or other sensory impairments, here are some common visual problems that can result from a brain injury:

• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light and glare
• Reading difficulties
• Headaches associated with visual tasks
• Frequent bumping into objects, especially with one side of your body
• Double vision
• Aching eyes
• Reduction or loss of visual field
• Difficulty with eye movements
• Unable to maintain eye contact
• Dizziness/vertigo
• Dry eyes
• Visual hallucinations

Treatments such as vision rehabilitation, corrective lenses, or light therapy can be used to successfully reduce or eliminate vision impairments caused by TBIs. Brain injury or not, if you experience any of the symptoms listed above, give us a call. We can quickly pinpoint any issues with a comprehensive eye exam.  

Prepping for Your Next Eye Appointment

Whether you’re visiting our office for the first time or you’ve been a patient for years, you can do a little homework to be better prepared for your next appointment. To identify some items you should discuss during your next visit, consider the following:

What daily activities impact your eyes? For instance, do you spend lots of time in front of a computer screen or do you find yourself mostly outdoors? Those who frequently use digital devices might experience eye strain while those who work outside are more susceptible to eye sunburns or cancer caused by UV light. If you tell us about the conditions that impact your vision, such as the examples listed here, we can better address your personal eye health.

Have you noticed a change in your eye sight? Even if you answered “no,” your vision can gradually decline without your knowledge. As you age, the sharpness of your visual acuity declines. By the time you reach 40 years old, it’s common to experience a loss of near focusing abilities. (This is called presbyopia.) The best way to keep on top of your vision is to schedule a checkup every year or two.

Will you need more than one pair of glasses? If you need to wear glasses in a variety of settings, it’s best to get more than one pair to fit your different needs. It wouldn’t make sense to wear the same pair while driving at night, working on a construction site, or hitting the bike trails. We will help you choose eyewear with features, such as glare protection, impact-rated lenses, or sports eyewear, to match your lifestyle activities.

Why St. Patrick’s Day is an Eye Healthy Holiday

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you may think of leprechauns, corned beef and cabbage, and a pint of Guinness. But did you know that St. Patrick’s Day is also an opportune time to incorporate some eye healthy foods into your diet?

Why? Greens!!!! Leafy greens provide some of the most essential nutrients your eyes need—and what better day to consume these greens than the most Irish of holidays? So, without further ado, here are some of my top recommendations for eye healthy superfoods that will get your family in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit.

• Cabbage. You can enjoy one of the most popular dishes of the holiday, corned beef and cabbage, and reap the benefits to your eye health as well. Cabbage comes in a variety of colors (of the most common is green) and it’s rich in Vitamin A, which is essential to your retinal health.
• Kale, broccoli, or spinach. These green veggies are packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients that protect the retina against oxidative damage and decrease the risk for macular degeneration.
• Green tea. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a good old-fashioned green beer too, but green tea is a wonderful drink with numerous health benefits, including the protection it provides against diseases like cataracts.

 

There are other ways to incorporate eye health into your diet. Salmon, for example, is a food rich in DHA, which helps prevent macular degeneration. Consider a recipe like this Irish-roasted salmon to appease the masses.

http://www.food.com/recipe/irish-roasted-salmon-169936

Do you have an eye-healthy Irish recipe you love? Share it in the comments below!

Work-Related Eye Trauma: Know Your Risks

You may know that there are many things that can hurt your vision—smoking, poor nutrition, computer eye strain…but did you know that your day job could create an even bigger risk to your overall eye health than you realize?

Over 300,000 Americans suffer eye injuries on the job every day without realizing the damage that occurred could be long-term. While many companies do a huge part by training their employees on eye safety if they are in high-risk positions, it’s also important to take personal responsibility for your eye safety. Here are some common ways workers injure their eyes:

• Burns from flying sparks
• Chemical burns
• Welding fumes
• Flying particles
• Flying objects like metal or glass
• Tools
• Machine operator error

 

Even if you don’t work in a labor-intensive environment, you still may be exposed to a combination of these dangers. Be smart about your situation and protect your eyes with OSHA-compliant eye safety wear whenever possible. While it may not protect you from all injury, it can help reduce your risk and minimize any harm that may occur.  

Have you ever suffered an on-the-job eye injury? Share your experience in the comments below.

March is Save Your Vision Month

Did you know that more than 20 million Americans have severe vision loss? We know you can’t completely prevent all causes of vision loss and eye disease, but there are several things everyone can do to maintain healthy eyes and reduce their chances of vision loss in the future.

Because March is Save Your Vision Month, I’d like to talk about some of the most important things you can do to encourage strong, healthy eyesight for many years to come:

Wear your sunglasses. You can delay the development of cataracts and prevent retinal damage by wearing UV blocking sunglasses regularly when you’re outside or in your car. Make sure your sunglasses block 100% of both UV-A and UV-B rays.

Don’t Smoke. One of the best things you can do for your eyes is to steer clear of tobacco smoke. Studies show that people who smoke or who have smoked have a greater chance of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts, in addition to many other adverse health issues.

Get your eyes checked regularly. Even if you have no obvious vision or eye-related issues, you should get your eyes checked so that we can create a baseline and catch any early signs of disease.

Wear eye protection. Every year, we see an estimated 2.5 million eye injuries each year in the U.S. It’s very important to actively prevent eye injuries by wearing proper eye protection during sports activities such as hockey and baseball and home projects such as home repairs, gardening, and cleaning.

Eat right. You’ve probably heard that eating carrots will help your vision. There’s definitely some truth to that, but you should also try to eat a variety of other vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. Vitamin deficiency can impair retinal function, and studies have found that people who ate more food containing antioxidants (see my blog post from last week to learn more) were less likely to develop early and advanced AMD.