Do You Have Blurry Vision From a Concussion or Hitting Your Head?

• The pursuit system* is the ability to track an object. Think about following a tennis match or a moving object, your eyes are moving to follow the object while your head remains still.
• The saccadic system* allows you to move your eyes from one object to another. This system is heavily relied upon while reading and moving from one word to the next. People with these impairments after a concussion will often report that they feel like the words are jumping or they cannot stay on the line while reading.
• Convergence is necessary for viewing things up close and reading. After a concussion, people often report that they do not like things close to their faces. Difficulty reading and concentrating are very common reports that tend to be accompanied by pressure in the forehead.
• Accommodation occurs when the eyes exit the converged position and focus. Oftentimes people will have both convergence and accommodation disorder that make any near-vision work challenging and uncomfortable.

^{*If both of these systems are affected, then watching moving objects, reading and being in busier environments can easily provoke your symptoms.}

All of these impairments can be treated with specialized physical and/ or occupational therapy and, in some cases, vision therapy provided by an optometrist. The concussion specialists at Sheltering Arms are specifically trained on assessments and treatment strategies to address all of these impairments as well as other possible causes of your symptoms.