Skip to main content
Home » What’s New » Brain Injury and Vision: The Overlooked Connection

Brain Injury and Vision: The Overlooked Connection

blond woman having a headache 640x350

Imagine waking up after a concussion and feeling like the world just won’t come into focus. You try reading your phone or watching TV, but nothing feels right—your eyes strain, your balance feels off and even walking through a room can be overwhelming. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone—and your vision might be part of the problem.

At Visual Symptoms Treatment Center here in Arlington Heights, we see this connection every day. Many patients come to us after a brain injury, unsure why they are still struggling weeks or even months later. One of the most effective tools we offer is neuro-optometric rehabilitation—a customized program designed to retrain how the eyes and brain work together.

How Brain Injury and Vision Problems Are Connected

Your brain and your visual system are deeply intertwined—nearly 50% of your brain is involved in processing visual information. So, when a traumatic brain injury (TBI) like a concussion happens, it can disrupt your visual pathways even if your eyes themselves are perfectly healthy.

This disruption can impact how your eyes track, focus, and coordinate, leading to a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms. Many people don’t immediately connect their symptoms to vision, which means this piece of the recovery puzzle often goes unnoticed.

Signs Your Vision Might Be Affected by a Brain Injury

If you have had a concussion or other brain injury and you are still feeling "off," pay close attention to these common signs of visual dysfunction:

  • Blurred or double vision
  • Difficulty focusing or reading
  • Light sensitivity
  • Headaches or eye strain
  • Problems with balance or depth perception
  • Difficulty tracking moving objects
  • Dizziness, especially in visually busy environments
  • Feeling overwhelmed in crowds or while shopping

These symptoms can linger even after other signs of brain injury have improved. If any of these feel familiar, it is time to consider a neuro-visual evaluation.

Getting Help at Visual Symptoms Treatment Center

At our Arlington Heights office, we take a comprehensive, personalized approach to helping patients recover visual function after a brain injury. Here is how we support your journey:

Comprehensive Neuro-Visual Evaluation

We begin with an in-depth evaluation that goes beyond a routine eye exam. We will assess how your eyes move, how they work together, and how your brain processes visual input. This helps us uncover the root of your symptoms and determine whether neuro-optometric care is the right path for you.

Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation

This is not one-size-fits-all care. Neuro-optometric rehabilitation is a personalized program of in-office and at-home activities designed to retrain your visual system. We target the specific areas of dysfunction—like eye teaming, tracking, or focusing—that are causing your symptoms.

This form of therapy helps rebuild connections between your eyes and brain, reducing discomfort and improving your ability to return to work, school, and daily life with more ease.

Ongoing Support & Progress Monitoring

Healing from a brain injury is a journey, and we are with you every step of the way. Our team closely monitors your progress and adjusts your care as needed to help you move forward with confidence.

Whether you are weeks out from a concussion or still feeling off years later, we are here to guide you through recovery with care, clarity, and expertise.

Get Vision Support After TBI in Arlington Heights

Brain injuries are complex, but your vision does not have to be a lingering source of frustration. If you are struggling with visual symptoms after a concussion or head injury, let’s uncover the missing piece together.

At Visual Symptoms Treatment Center in Arlington Heights, we are here to help you reclaim your comfort, focus, and quality of life—one step (and one blink) at a time. Book your appointment.