Dr. Julie Steinhauer Reveals 4 Visual Clues To Determine If Your Child Suffers From A Sports Concussion

GLEN CARBON, IL – February 28, 2020 – Dr. Julie Steinhauer, OD, FCOVD, owner of Vision For Life, and one of a few developmental optometrists in the nation, says coaches, doctors and parents should pay attention to a number of visual clues to determine if their athlete is suffering trauma from a sports concussion.
Steinhauer specializes in treating children and young adults. Many participate in school athletics. Steinhauer has treated a good number of students who have suffered from an on-the-field concussion, and points out a number of visual clues can reveal if the athlete has suffered a head trauma and the severity of the injury.
These visual clues to watch include…
1. Cognitive Function.
This includes the child’s orientation to people, places and time.
“Many athletes don’t want to miss any games and or competitions. They are good at hiding certain conditions. You can often give the student a simple math or spelling exam and test their ability to adequately answer those questions. Testing their memory can also reveal if their thought process has been comprised. ”
2. Blurry vision.
Many athletes suffer from blurriness or double vision following a concussion, according to Steinhauer.
“They become sensitive to light and can have painful headaches. In addition their ability to focus their vision can become an issue. The athlete may see wiggly lines and forget what they just read.”
3. Dizziness
Steinhauer indicates that the individual’s eyes may stop functioning as a team after a concussion. This can sometimes lead to dizziness
“What we call binocular vision can become impaired. Instead of the two eyes focusing on one object they become disoriented. The student loses focus, visual acuity and awareness.”
Imbalance can also be caused an alteration to the position of the eye from a concussion. “It alters the direction of the visual axis resulting in a condition called strabismus. One eye may turn in, out, up or down. In an effort to adjust to the vertical misalignment of the eyes, the person will frequently tilt their head to help improve eye alignment. This in turn can cause disorders in the vestibular fluid of the inner ear and lead to dizziness and balance disorders. Fortunately a variety of treatments are available to treat this issue.”
4. Sluggish response times.
A concussion can slow reaction time to common tasks. Steinhauer indicates a pupil test by an eye care professional can reveal the integrity of the neuro system and if a system changing event has occurred.
“Testing for pupillary light reflex will reveal if brain inflammation has taken place. It is very accurate and will indicate if further action is necessary to treat the symptoms.”
Steinhauer said depending on the severity of the original concussion the athlete can fall behind at school, at work and on the field.
Left untreated the athlete can be subject to greater injury and more damage to the brain area should a second concussion occur.
For additional information visit Vision For Life