Traumatic Brain Injury : Prospects for Future Clinical Trials

I am so excited to be travelling to Michigan to meet Dr. Dallas Hack and hear him speak about TBI and Future Clinical Trials.

Currently, Dr. Hack is on the Executive Committee for NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance: A Concussion Research and Education Initiative.  Dr. Hack is the former Director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program. He was involved with the Brain Health/Fitness Research Program as Coordinator for Army Medical Research.

I look forward to a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to get involved in Dr. Hack's important research.

Thankful

This week I am especially thankful for not only my family and wonderful friends but also the skills that I have been taught by Dr. Debby Feinberg. I am so grateful that I can help in the healing of so many people who are suffering and have felt that there was no hope.

Again, as way of giving back, I would like to offer my services to any veteran who acquired a Traumatic Brain Injury in the line of duty,  pro bono.  If you know of any veteran who is suffering headache, dizziness, light sensitivity due to Post Concussion Syndrome or any TBI please have them contact my office. The Neuro Visual Center of New York 516-224-4888

Vertical Heterophoria, Why Does It Occur?

We believe up to 10% of the general population suffers from Vertical Heterophoria (VH). VH can be congenital, meaning you are just born this way. It can also develop after a traumatic brain injury, even a mild concussion. Symptoms include, headache, dizziness, light sensitivity, difficulty reading, and a feeling of being unbalanced.

We know that many people have one eye that is physically higher than the other, yet not all these people suffer from the symptoms of VH. Many patients do not have any symptoms until they hit a certain age. Typically this occurs in the 40s when all our muscle systems have a difficult time functioning as the once did. Sometimes, a stress to the body such as an inner ear infection, pregnancy, Lyme disease, or the flu can be the trigger for VH symptoms to begin.

Up to 50% of patients who still experience Post Concussive symptoms 3 months after their brain injury have developed VH. The signals from the visual system, vestibular system, and brain are not working properly. Many people are misdiagnosed with convergence insufficiency only and VH is missed. The vertical component can be very small and specific tests need to be performed to identify these small vertical muscle problems. When we correct the vertical misalignment, the eyes have a much easier time converging. Eye exercises do not work for the vertical muscles. They can not be trained. This is why so many patients still have significant symptoms after months of vision therapy.

We use very precise prismatic correction in a pair of glasses to correct these misalignments. Patients experience a 70 to 80% reduction in symptoms by the end of treatment. No lenghty or costly vision therapy. Just a very special pair of glasses. If you would like to find out if Vertical Heterophoria is causing your symptoms, please log on to our website www.nvcofny.com. Take our quantified questionnaire and we will contact you with your results.

Post Concussive Syndrome and Binocular Vision Dysfunction.

I wanted to take some time to explain how we think Post Concussive Syndrome can lead to Binocular Vision Dysfunction. We know that more than 50% of our brain pathways are related to vision. Vision is very complicated  and is much more than how clearly each eyes sees. Our visual system, along with the vestibular system controls our feeling of stability and movement in space. To do this, our two eyes need to be working together properly.

I like to use the analogy of wires going from one telephone pole to the next. The "wires", actually neurons, carry the signals in the brain. When someone suffers a TBI these "wires" get jumbled up. The brain is very plastic and healing does take place. The rate of healing and how the brain heals can be unique to each person.

We believe that when someone suffers a TBI, these signals can become faulty. The signal between the eyes and the vestibular system is faulty. Due to the incorrect signal the eyes rotate to a misaligned position. However, if they remained in the misaligned position, the person would see double. This is dysfunctional. Our brain does not like to see double. To overcome this double vision, the opposing eye muscles start working, causing stress and strain on the system. This leads to the symptoms of headache and dizziness.

Treatment with prismatic lenses allow the eyes to maintain the comfortable position and relieve the strain on the compensating muscles. We can get a 70 to 80% reduction in symptoms with out costly therapy.  If you would like to see if Binocular Vision Dysfunction is part of your Post Concussive Syndrome, please go to my website www.nvcofny.com to take our questionnaire or email me at drcheryl@nvcofny.com. I would also be happy to speak in person if you have any questions. Please calll 516-224-4888
Dr.  Cheryl.

Vertical Heterophoria Causing Unexplained Dizziness for 10 Years

Many patients with Vertical Heterophoria get very dizzy while driving a car.  This often leads to severe anxiety attacks. This problem can get so bad that these people can not function or lead normal lives. A very lovely woman  I will call G, I  had the pleasure of examining last week. She had been suffering for 10 years with dizziness.  She would experience severe dizziness in the car, which lead to anxiety attacks. She also complained about an unsteady feeling while she was walking, neck ache, sensitivity to light, and an anxious feeling in large open areas. Classic symptoms of  Vertical Heterophoria. She had seen may doctors and tried many treatments. Nothing had helped her.

During her first visit to the Neuro Visual Center of NY, G felt an immediate difference while wearing the trial frame with her prismatic lens correction. G felt more steady and grounded on her feet, she was able to walk a straight line, and she felt her dizziness decreasing. She could actually feel her eye muscles relaxing. It was so rewarding to see the look of pure joy on her face. I can't wait for G to get her new prism glasses and be on the road back to a normal life!