Eyeglasses recommended for traumatic brain injury patients

August 4, 2010

A new study conducted at the University of Michigan demonstrates that prismatic eyeglasses may be helpful for those suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This specific type of eyewear can reduce symptoms from Visual Image Misalignment or Vertical Heterophoria.

Approximately 15 to 20 percent of soldiers returning from war in Afghanistan or Iraq sustain TBI from being near an explosion. In addition, 2 million U.S. citizens suffer from the affliction due to accidents. One year after the injury, around 10 to 25 percent of patients suffering from TBI still have significant symptoms.

Symptoms of TBI include headaches, dizziness, neck pain and anxiety. Prismatic glasses can reduce symptoms by approximately 71.8 percent in about 3.5 months.

"Prismatic lens treatment seems to allow the other therapies [involved in treating TBI] to be effective more quickly," said Jennifer E Doble, a psychiatrist at S Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor. "And as a result, patients get better quicker, reducing the time and cost of caring for this patient population."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 2,000 workers in the U.S. sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. Over 100 of those injuries result in one or more lost days of work.