It is easy to take your ability to see clearly for granted. If you lose your vision, though, your life is unlikely ever to be the same again. Indeed, a visual impairment may take an extremely negative toll on your job, family life and recreational pursuits.
According to the Mayo Clinic, car accidents are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. If you hit your head during a collision, you should go to the emergency room for a full evaluation. If you fail to do so, you may have to deal with a lifetime of irreversible vision loss or other vision problems.
What are some common TBI-associated vision problems?
Because your brain controls how you see, a TBI can interfere with your visual acuity. In fact, it is not uncommon for those who have TBIs to have one or more of the following vision-related issues:
- Double vision
- Blurred vision
- Diminished peripheral vision
- Vision loss
While many of these vision-related impairments may go away on their own as you recover from a TBI, others require emergency medical treatment. Because you are unlikely to be able to tell the difference, it is advisable to go to the hospital immediately.
Do you need to see a specialist?
When you seek critical care, you put all of the hospital’s resources to work for you. Unless you are at a trauma center, though, the hospital may not have the necessary professional staff to treat you effectively. If treating your TBI requires a specialist, such as an ophthalmologist or neurologist, you may have to transfer to a different hospital.
Ultimately, even though changing hospitals to access specialist care is likely to be extremely expensive, you may have grounds to pursue significant financial compensation for your vision-related injuries.
