Though it is a symptom that isn’t often discussed, did you know that you could lose your vision as a result of a brain injury? Vision and eye problems are actually common side effects of brain injuries, and the problems can vary significantly from one patient to another.
The reason for vision problems is that a brain injury may affect the way that your brain processes input from the eyes. Even though your eyes may work correctly, the brain may not be able to understand the visual stimulus. You might have symptoms such as blindness, trouble with object recognition or difficulties with depth perception.
Vision problems are more likely if there is significant damage to the visual pathways in the brain. The pathways, which include the retina, optic chiasm, optic tract, optic radiations and optic nerves may all be damaged as a result of a brain injury and other trauma.
There are a couple types of visual problems that people with brain injuries may deal with. One category includes neuromuscular eye problems, and the second includes visual processing issues. With neuromuscular eye issues, the eye muscle’s coordination and strength are affected. With visual processing issues, the brain cannot process visual information correctly.
After you are involved in an accident, it’s important that you seek medical care right away. If you notice that you have some visual symptoms or can no longer see, let the medical team know. They will order the appropriate tests to find out what the cause of your symptoms is and take steps to minimize the risk of eye-related symptoms worsening or remaining permanent, when possible.