TheCrawlerFL

One relatively unknown complication that I have due to my brain injury is called Post Traumatic Vision Syndrome. For those with PTVS, the brain and the eyes no long communicate properly, which can cause terrible headaches. I have problems regarding eye convergence, eye tracking, eye focusing (near and far), and peripheral vision. Some of the treatment available for these issues include wearing special glasses (bifocals, prisms, etc) and attending weekly vision therapy which involves many types of eye exercises. I have also received a treatment called Syntonic light therapy.

Did you find this helped at all?

I also suffer from Post Concussive Syndrome (thanks to 13 years of football), though my symptoms seem to revolve around nausea and lack of balance and appetite rather than pain. I don't know if this is related to your situation regarding Post Traumatic Vision Syndrome, but I would love to try this if it's possible. I would do anything to get this to stop. My ENT and my neurologists just keep throwing drugs at me that aren't working.

I appreciate your response. I'll put some feelers out and see if there's something I can get in to. My ENT seemed fairly confident it was some issue regarding my vision, which has been (seemingly to me) slowly deteriorating since the most serious of my concussions.

My first neurologist responded to my symptoms with a pretty heavy dose of Fentanyl, which I refused, as I'm not in any pain and felt it was essentially pointless. Since then, I've been so hesitant to even see another because that experience felt so dismissive of the actual issue. I'm always feeling like there's nowhere to turn for help, and my worst fear has developed into being dizzy and nauseated for the rest of my life.

I really appreciate you doing this AMA, I hope you do get to return to your treatments and continue to feel better.