What Should I Do After Getting a Concussion?

What Should I Do After Getting a Concussion?

Concussions are the most common type of traumatic brain injury. They are triggered by a hit to your body, blow, jolt, or bump to your head. 

 

A concussion can affect the functioning of your brain. Effects can be temporary. However, there are instances where concussions can lead to long-term vision problems. Some concussions can cause loss of consciousness, though most do not.

 

Types of Concussions 

Doctors grade concussions based on severity as follows:

 

• Grade one – Mild with no loss of consciousness. Symptoms can last for less than 15 minutes

• Grade two – Moderate with no loss of consciousness. Symptoms can last for more than 15 minutes

• Grade three – Severe with loss of consciousness. You can lose consciousness for a few seconds
  
   

Causes and Risk Factors of Concussions

The following increase your risk of getting a concussion:

 

• Falls
   

• Military service
   

• Contact sports
   

• Motorcycle, car, and bicycle accidents that can bump your head
   

• Physical abuse
   

• Prior concussions
   

• Lack of protective gear when playing contact sports
   

• Being hit by an object
  
   

Symptoms of Concussions

The signs and symptoms of concussions can last for days or longer. Sometimes you can experience subtle to no symptoms. Common symptoms are confusion, headache and, loss of memory.  

 

You can also experience physical symptoms like blurry vision, nausea, vomiting, ringing in your ears, or fatigue.

 

Impact of Concussion on Your Vision

Your brain is soft tissue cushioned by spinal fluid and protected by the skull. Impact on your head can affect the brain. Your brain can sometimes move inside your head, depending on the intensity of the force.  

 

Traumatic brain injury can cause damage to your blood vessels, injury to nerves, and bruising. As a result, you experience vision problems caused by a change in brain function.

 

More than 50 percent of your brain is devoted to visual processing and sight. Information that comes from your eyes impacts almost 80 percent of the sensory processing in your body. Brain injury can significantly impact your optical system, causing life-changing warning signs.

 

Vision Therapy to Treat Concussions

Post-concussion syndrome and Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS) are the symptoms that persist after a concussion. Especially in the case of the latter, your eyes can be physically healthy but not communicate well with your brain.

 

Your doctor can recommend vision therapy in neuro-optometric rehabilitation as a treatment to relieve the symptoms caused by concussion. Treatment focuses on various visual disorders that result from concussions or brain injuries.

 

Vision therapy is non-invasive and rehabilitates any issues with how your vision integrates with your senses, processes information, and the visual-motor syndromes. Your doctor will examine you by conducting a depth test to analyze the communication between your brain and visual system. 

 

Your doctor will also analyze how the concussion has affected your daily activities such as reading, moving, balance, and more. Vision therapy can help redevelop the communication between your eyes and brain to give you proper control of your visual system for a better quality of life.

For more on what to do after a concussion, contact Bernstein Center for Visual Performance at our office in White Plains, New York. You can call (914) 682-8886 to book an appointment today.