Did you know that vision disorders are among the most common symptoms following acquired brain injuries (ABI)? These types of injuries, which include but are not limited to strokes, tumors, and surgeries, can cause brain damage that affects our vision. They also include traumatic brain injuries (TBI), also known as concussions. The most common symptoms following an acquired brain injury include double vision, a loss of peripheral vision, bumping into objects, difficulty reading, and feeling disoriented in crowded environments.
How We Can Help:
Our team of students and doctors provide a thorough evaluation to determine how much your vision has been impacted by an acquired brain injury. Our treatment plans include, but are not limited to, glasses, prisms, filters, and/or vision therapy to better help you manage your symptoms.
Beginning in early 2020, Midwestern University will be one of the only institutions in the country using the CAREN (Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment) system. This system will enable our team of eye doctors to co-manage ABI patients side-by-side with our physical therapy and occupational therapy teams. This approach, termed as the OneHealth philosophy at Midwestern University, ensures that the patient will always be at the center of all our management plans.
What to Expect:
Depending on the severity of symptoms and the type of injury that occurred, an examination can last up to two hours. In many circumstances, a patient will be dilated in order to ensure the health of the eye was not affected by the injury. In addition, it is not uncommon for your eyes to feel tired or sore after the examination, but these symptoms should last only momentarily. The examination may include, but is not limited to, a careful refraction to determine the best glasses prescription possible, visual field testing, and/or an evaluation for lenses known as prisms that can help manage common symptoms following acquired brain injuries. A second evaluation for tinted lenses may be recommended depending on your symptoms and our findings.
If you have been referred for our services by an outside provider, we request that your records be sent over prior to the appointment for review. This will allow us to know what has already been done, and where we can further assess your visual needs.
Your medical insurance is most often times billed for this examination.
Clinic Contact Information:
For an acquired brain injury evaluation, please contact 623-537-6000, option 2.
