Lenses Could Help Treat Atlanta Brain Injury Victims

Patients in Georgia with a Traumatic Brain Injury (“TBI”) often suffer symptoms of vertical heterophoria or visual misalignment. This kind of misalignment can increase stress and pressure on the eye muscles, which have to adjust to correct the alignment. The stress on the eye muscles contributes to symptoms like headaches, dizziness, anxiety, neck pain and difficulty in reading. These are known as postconcussive symptoms, and in approximately 10 % to 25% of patients who suffer from a brain injury, can be seen even years after the injury has occurred.

Now, a team of researchers from Michigan has found that using special eye lenses with prisms can help alleviate these symptoms. Using the special lenses with prisms can help correct the misalignment, thereby reducing stress on the eye muscles. The researchers focused on 43 patients with brain injury, who continued to experience symptoms of vertical heterophoria even three years after suffering the injury. The use of these lenses was found to dramatically reduce postconcussive symptoms in these patients, by as much 71%. The prismatic lenses were added to the patients’ basic perceptions, and improvement was seen over an average of 3.5 months.

Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury often focuses on eliminating the symptoms that arise from the injury or its complications. There has been very little progress made in the treatment of brain injury over the past few decades. Most treatments for brain injury are restricted to the first few hours after the injury has been sustained. There is nothing doctors can do to reverse the initial brain damage, but if the patient can be rushed to a trauma care center in time, further damage to the brain can be prevented.

After that, it can be a long process of physical, language, and rehabilitation therapy for brain injured patients relearn how to do things. Of course, all of these life-altering experiences are added up to establish general damages (vs. special damages which must be proven with specific proof of the amount of money spent on each) during plaintiff’s case in a personal injury lawsuit. For this, and other reasons, it is important to document all of these elements of damages and to keep this documentation in the form of a log or journal. We are often amazed at how much any person can forget over a 5 year period of time, and this is especially true of personal injury victims who have suffered a brain injury. Therefore, make sure that you keep a log or journal of all of the difficulties that you experience. As a side benefit, many clients find that the process of journaling actually provides them with some relief from their suffering.

Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, dental malpractice, bus accidents, car accident cases and premises injury cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 20 years. He practices in and around the Atlanta area including handling lawsuits in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb and other counties and nearby cities including Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident or other type of personal injury case and would like quality legal representation, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.