Full Transcript Introduction to concussion and vision 0:00 In my practice, most concussion-related visual symptoms fall into four main categories. 0:05 Let's walk through them each. 0:07 One, trouble reading or using screens. 0:09 This is one of the most common complaints I hear after a brain injury. 0:14 Many patients may say, words move or blur when I'm trying to read. 0:18 I lose my place when I'm reading. 0:20 I can't read for long anymore. 0:21 My endurance is very limited. 0:23 Or screens give me headaches and light sensitivity. 0:26 Now all of these symptoms happen because the brain is struggling to coordinate both eyes working together, especially up close. 0:35 So after a concussion, the neural pathways that control eye movement and focusing can be disrupted. 0:40 Even if you have perfect vision on the eye chart, your eyes may not be working together efficiently when you read. 0:47 Keep in mind, this is not a glasses problem. 0:50 This is a brain eye connection problem. 0:52 And once patients understand that, their symptoms finally start to make sense and we can deal with them. 1:11 Hello and welcome to the IQ podcast. 1:14 I'm your host Dr. 1:15 Rani Banek also known as America's integrative eye doctor and in this podcast I share with you strategies that will help to support your vision from within. 1:24 Strategies that will help you to protect and preserve your precious vision for life but also strategies that will support your brain health, 1:31 your cognitive function and also decrease headaches and migraines. 1:36 The month of March happens to be brain injury awareness month. 1:40 And in honor of that, in this episode, I'm going to be sharing with you insights into concussions and how they may affect vision. 1:48 So stay tuned. 1:49 You're going to definitely want to tune into this episode. 1:52 Hello, I'm Dr. 1:53 Rani and I'm here to talk about something we often take for granted, our vision. 1:58 In my book, Beyond Carrots, Best Foods for Eye Health A-Z, I delve into how crucial it is to be proactive about your vision health. 2:06 Certain eye issues are quite common, such as dry eye and eye strain, while others frequently develop with age like cataracts, 2:14 macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. 2:18 Some of these types of eye conditions can be debilitating and even lead to loss of vision. 2:23 The good news is that many of these sight-stealing conditions are preventable if you take the right steps. 2:29 Your eyes are precious and they deserve the best care possible.
How concussions disrupt the brain-eye connection 2:34 To ensure healthy vision for life, you need to provide your eyes with the proper nutrition they need. 2:39 Nutrients like lutein, zeaxanthin, and bioflavonoids, also omega fatty acids, are like fuel for your eyes, keeping them strong and vibrant. 2:48 But here's the truth, sometimes our diets have gaps. 2:52 That's where my age-size supplement bundle comes in. 2:56 It's the result of years of research and my passion for eye health. 3:00 The age-size bundle contains the three essential supplements I recommend to my patients. 3:06 Let's start with Fortify, a blend of powerful ingredients that protect against stressors like blue and UV light, eye strain, 3:13 free radicals, and oxidative stress. 3:16 Next is Nourish, a complete multivitamin. 3:19 Nourish provides the foundational building blocks your eyes need for cellular function and repair, along with powerful bioflavonoids that support the delicate 3:27 structures within your eyes. 3:29 And then there's Soothe, a unique complete blend of omegas, three, six, seven, and nine. 3:34 This blend of omega supports a healthy inflammatory response, nourishes dry eye, and helps fight against macular degeneration. 3:42 Remember, taking care of your eyes isn't just about today, it's an investment in your future. 3:48 By being proactive now, you can enjoy healthy vision for years to come so you can continue reading, using a device, staying independent, 3:56 and seeing the faces of your loved ones. 3:58 So, join me in taking the first step towards a lifetime of clear, vibrant vision. 4:03 It's time to introduce your eyes to the Ageless Eyes Bundle. 4:07 I invite you to learn more on my website about each of the powerful supplements that make up the trio in the Ageless Eyes Bundle. 4:14 Let's embark on this journey together because your eyes deserve nothing but the best. 4:20 The Ageless Eyes Bundle. 4:22 See the world with clarity and confidence. 4:27 I want to talk to you about something that surprises a lot of people, how concussions can affect vision. 4:33 Now, when most people think about a concussion or traumatic brain injury, they often think about common symptoms like headaches, 4:40 dizziness, or memory issues. 4:43 But what many people don't realize is that vision problems are incredibly common after a head injury, as mild as it may be. 4:51 And here's the key reason why. 4:52 It's because our vision doesn't just live in our eyes. 4:56 It actually lives in our brain, in the visual centers in the brain. 4:59 And as a neuro-ophthalmologist and integrative eye doctor, I see this eye-brain connection every single day.
Reading, screens, and visual endurance problems 5:06 In this episode, I want to explain why concussions so often disrupt vision, the most common visual symptoms I see after a head injury, 5:15 why eye exams often look normal even when someone's vision feels off, and also how I support concussion patients from a whole-brain integrative perspective. 5:27 So exactly how do concussions affect vision? 5:30 It's important to first understand the brain's structural and functional connections to vision. 5:35 More than half of the brain pathways are involved in visual processing. 5:39 This includes eye movements, focusing, depth perception, light tolerance, and how vision integrates with balance and our attention. 5:50 So when the brain experiences even a mild injury, such as a concussion, vision is often affected, even if the eyes themselves are perfectly healthy. 6:02 A concussion, fortunately, doesn't usually damage the eyeball. 6:05 It disrupts the brain's control of our vision. 6:08 And that's why patients oftentimes will say, something feels off, but it can't explain it. 6:14 Or, my eye exam was normal but I still struggle with my vision. 6:18 And many of my patients will often describe that reading or screen time truly exhausts them. 6:24 Now these experiences are very real and they have a neurologic explanation. 6:29 So what are the four most common vision problems after concussion? 6:32 In my practice, most concussion-related visual symptoms fall into four main categories. 6:38 Let's walk through them each. 6:40 One, trouble reading or using screens. 6:42 This is one of the most common complaints I hear after a brain injury. 6:47 Many patients may say words move or blur when I'm trying to read. 6:50 I lose my place when I'm reading. 6:53 I can't read for long anymore. 6:54 My endurance is very limited or screens give me headaches and light sensitivity. 6:59 Now all of these symptoms happen because the brain is struggling to coordinate both eyes working together, especially up close. 7:08 So after a concussion, the neural pathways that control eye movement and focusing can be disrupted.
Eye discomfort, double vision, and light sensitivity 7:13 Even if you have perfect vision on the eye chart, your eyes may not be working together efficiently when you read. 7:20 Keep in mind, this is not a glasses problem. 7:23 This is a brain-eye connection problem. 7:25 And once patients understand that, their symptoms finally start to make sense and we can deal with them. 7:31 Number two, eye discomfort, dryness, and visual irritation. 7:36 Another commonly overlooked issue is eye discomfort or dryness after concussion. 7:41 What's important to understand is that this isn't classic dry eye. 7:46 After a head injury, the brain's sensory pathways, especially the trigeminal nerve pathways that carry pain and irritation signals from the eyes and the 7:56 face to the brain, these pathways can become overly sensitized, which leads to burning or a gritty eye sensation, eye discomfort that often feels out of 8:07 proportion to the findings on the eye exam or worsening light sensitivity. 8:12 So in other words, the eyes may feel irritated because the brain is amplifying sensory input, not because the eyes are severely damaged. 8:22 Now addressing this component is critical because untreated dry eye and eye discomfort can worsen all of the other visual symptoms. 8:30 Number three, double vision. 8:32 Now double vision after a concussion should always be taken seriously. 8:36 It can occur when the eyes are misaligned, even slight misalignments can cause double vision, a cranial nerve like three, 8:44 four, or six that controls eye movement is affected by the concussion, or a previously compensated eye alignment issue becomes symptomatic because it's decompensated. 8:54 Now even subtle eye misalignment can cause major visual symptoms, especially in busy or complex environments. 9:03 As a neurophthalmologist, my role is to determine whether this represents a true neurologic emergency, whether further testing or neuroimaging like CT 9:13 or MRI is needed, and also what their expected recovery looks like. 9:18 Now double vision after concussion is a neurologic symptom. 9:23 It's not something to ignore or simply push through. 9:26 Symptom complex number four is light sensitivity. 9:29 Light sensitivity is also called photophobia or fear of light and is one of the most distressing post concussion symptoms. 9:36 Patients often describe pain or pressure with bright lights. 9:40 They need to wear sunglasses even indoors. 9:43 Sometimes they even have nausea or dizziness that's triggered by screens or overhead lighting. 9:49 Again, this is not an eye problem. 9:51 It's a brain sensitivity problem. 9:54 After concussion, the pathways that link light input to pain and the sensory centers in the brain can become overactive. 10:01 And that's why even normal light levels can suddenly feel overwhelming. 10:06 Now, avoiding light completely can sometimes prolong these visual symptoms. 10:10 So part of recovery involves gradually restoring tolerance in a thoughtful, guided way instead of wearing just really dark sunglasses.
Normal eye exams and the path to recovery 10:19 Next. 10:19 Let's talk about what the eye exam may reveal after a concussion. 10:23 One of the most frustrating things that concussion patients oftentimes hear is, well, your eye exam is normal. 10:30 I don't know why you're having these symptoms. 10:32 Structurally, yes, the eye exam may be normal, but concussion-related vision problems are usually functional, not necessarily structural. 10:42 They involve how the brain processes and integrates visual information, not damage that you can see on an eye exam or an eye chart or even an OCT machine, 10:51 which is optical coherence tomography. 10:53 And this is why a neuro-ophthalmic perspective is so important, because we can support concussion patient care in very profound ways. 11:01 As an integrative neuro-ophthalmologist, I don't use a one-size-fits-all approach. 11:06 I focus on identifying which visual symptoms are affected, then explaining why the symptoms are happening because understanding is one of the first steps 11:16 in recovery for patients, then addressing the neurologic, the ocular, and the sensory contributors to a patient's symptoms. 11:25 Really, we need to support recovery at the brain and cellular level. 11:29 I also remind my patients of something very important, that persistent visual symptoms do not mean permanent damage. 11:36 They usually mean that the brain hasn't received the right kind of support yet. 11:41 and recovery is often possible, even months or even years after injury. 11:47 So if you've had a concussion and your vision hasn't felt right, even if your eye exams have been normal, you are not imagining it. 11:55 Vision problems after a concussion are very common and very real, but the good news is that they are treatable when they're approached from a brain-based 12:05 integrative perspective. 12:06 which is based in nutrition, stress modulation, sleep hygiene, and supplements when. 12:13 If you'd like to learn more, I've written a detailed blog series on this topic of traumatic brain injury and vision that will walk you through these symptoms. 12:23 You can find the link to my blog post in the show notes below. 12:26 And I want to thank you for listening to this episode of the IQ podcast. 12:30 I hope you've gained some important insights. 12:32 Remember to write a review and please subscribe to the podcast. 12:36 It's a no cost way to support me and my team as we continue to bring you useful information about your vision and brain health through the IQ podcast. 12:44 Again, thanks for watching and I'll see you soon in our next episode. 12:48 Thank you for tuning in to the IQ Podcast. 12:51 I hope you enjoyed today's episode and learned something new to help you boost your IQ. 12:58 Leave us a review and share the podcast with your family and friends. 13:02 Stay connected with me for more eye-opening insights on eye health, nutrition, and lifestyle. 13:08 Until next time, keep your vision clear and your IQ sharp.
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