Quick Facts: Up to 90% of traumatic brain injury patients experience some form of visual dysfunction. Vision therapy achieves success rates of 85-100% for common post-concussion vision issues like convergence insufficiency. If your vision problems have persisted for more than six weeks after your injury, they are unlikely to resolve without treatment.
If you're struggling with blurry vision, light sensitivity, or difficulty reading after a concussion, you're experiencing something that affects the vast majority of brain injury patients. Research shows that 82% of post-concussion patients are diagnosed with oculomotor problems, yet these symptoms are frequently overlooked by standard medical care.
The frustrating reality is that most eye doctors will tell you your vision is "fine" because your visual acuity tests normally. But visual acuity only measures how sharp your vision is at a distance. It doesn't measure how well your brain processes visual information, how your eyes work together, or why screens and fluorescent lights now trigger headaches.
This guide explains why concussions cause vision problems, what symptoms to watch for, and which treatments actually work based on the latest research. We'll also help you understand when to seek help and what questions to ask.
In this article:
Note: If you've experienced one or more concussions and your symptoms (including vision problems) persist, you're not alone — and you're not imagining it. Help is available. Peer-reviewed research shows that 77% of patients treated at Cognitive FX experienced significant improvement in their post-concussion symptoms. Cognitive FX is the only post-concussion treatment clinic with third-party validated outcomes. To see if you are eligible for treatment, schedule a consultation.
Your eyes might be perfectly healthy after a concussion, but you still can't see right. This disconnect confuses many patients and even some doctors.
Here's what's actually happening: vision isn't just about your eyes. It's a complex process involving over 50% of your brain's pathways. When you experience a concussion, the injury disrupts communication between neurons and the blood vessels that supply them with oxygen. This dysfunction, called neurovascular coupling, means certain brain regions can't process visual information efficiently even though your eyes are physically fine.
A 2024 study published in Life journal found that accommodative system impairments (your ability to shift focus between near and far objects) are among the most common visual dysfunctions after mild traumatic brain injury. The researchers noted these problems often go undetected by standard vision screenings.
Your vision can also be affected by post-concussion autonomic dysfunction, which disrupts how your nervous system regulates automatic functions like pupil dilation and blood flow to the brain.
The brain regions most commonly affected include:
This is why you might have perfect 20/20 vision on an eye chart but still struggle to read a book, tolerate bright lights, or navigate a crowded grocery store.
Post-concussion vision problems show up in several distinct patterns. Understanding which category your symptoms fall into can help you communicate with healthcare providers and find the right treatment.
Research shows 43% of post-concussion patients experience accommodative dysfunction, which affects your ability to shift focus between near and far objects.
You might notice:
Convergence insufficiency affects 47% of post-concussion patients, making it one of the most common visual dysfunctions after brain injury. A 2024 Danish study found that convergence insufficiency prevalence in post-concussion syndrome patients is 4-5 times higher than in the general population.
You might notice:
Between 40-50% of concussion patients experience light sensitivity. TBI patients are five times more likely to suffer from light intolerance compared to people without brain injuries.
You might notice:
You might notice:
Overactive peripheral vision symptoms:
Underactive peripheral vision symptoms:
After a brain injury, your brain's perception of "center" can shift, causing you to lean to one side or feel like the environment is tilted.
You might notice:
Many different types of eye-related problems and accompanying symptoms can arise after a concussion. Some of the most common issues include:
If your eyes don’t focus quickly and easily, you might have these problems:
If your eyes don’t converge correctly (including convergence insufficiency), you might have these problems:
If your eyes can’t judge distances or the location of objects in relation to each other correctly, you might have these problems:
If your eyes aren’t tracking properly, or moving accurately and easily from place to place, you might have these problems:
If your brain is paying attention to too much of the activity in your peripheral vision, you might have these problems:
If your brain is paying attention to too little of the activity in your peripheral vision, you might have these problems:
It is rare for concussion patients to experience vision loss or significant visual field loss after a concussion. These conditions are associated with more direct eye trauma or severe traumatic brain injury.
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Most concussion symptoms resolve within 2-4 weeks for the majority of patients. However, if your vision problems persist beyond six weeks, they are very unlikely to improve on their own without intervention.
Timeline expectations:
0-2 weeks: Acute symptoms are normal. Rest and gradual return to activities as tolerated.
2-4 weeks: Most patients see significant improvement. Persistent symptoms warrant evaluation.
4-6 weeks: If symptoms haven't improved substantially, seek evaluation from a specialist. This is when post-concussion syndrome may be developing.
6+ weeks: Symptoms that persist at this point typically require active treatment. The good news is that treatment is highly effective even years after the initial injury.
Important for parents: Youth with exercise-induced visual dysfunction have a three-fold greater risk of developing persistent post-concussive symptoms. Early intervention matters. If your child is still struggling with vision problems after a few weeks, don't wait to seek help.
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Not all treatments work the same way or address the same problems. Here's what the research shows about effectiveness:
Vision therapy consists of supervised exercises designed to retrain the visual system. It addresses both the eye muscles and the brain regions that process visual information.
What the research shows: The Gallaway study documented 85% success rates for convergence insufficiency treatment with vision therapy, with an additional 15% showing improvement. A 2018 study in the Journal of Optometry demonstrated that 100% of participants improved eye movement control after approximately 10 hours of therapy.
Best for: Convergence insufficiency, eye tracking problems, focusing issues, eye teaming problems
Timeline: Typically 12-16 weeks with sessions 1-2 times per week
Limitations: Addresses vision in isolation; may not resolve symptoms that involve other brain systems
Prism lenses bend light to reduce the effort your eyes need to work together. They can provide immediate symptom relief for certain conditions.
What the research shows: Research demonstrates a 71.8% reduction in headaches, dizziness, and anxiety symptoms in TBI patients with vertical heterophoria who use prism correction.
Best for: Vertical heterophoria, binocular vision dysfunction, visual midline shift
Timeline: Relief can be immediate to within a few days
Limitations: Manages symptoms rather than correcting underlying dysfunction; may need adjustment over time
These rose-tinted lenses filter specific wavelengths of light that tend to trigger symptoms in light-sensitive patients.
What the research shows: 85% of patients with post-concussion photophobia report relief when using FL-41 tinted lenses.
Best for: Light sensitivity, photophobia, screen-related symptoms
Timeline: Immediate symptom management
Limitations: Symptom management tool rather than treatment; doesn't address underlying causes
A specialized approach combining comprehensive evaluation with customized therapy protocols.
What the research shows: A 2019 study examining over 3,000 patients concluded neuro-optometric rehabilitation is a "promising intervention" for post-concussion visual dysfunction.
Best for: Complex visual symptoms, patients who haven't responded to standard vision therapy
Timeline: Several months depending on severity
Limitations: Limited availability; requires specialist practitioners
This approach addresses vision problems as part of comprehensive brain rehabilitation, recognizing that visual symptoms rarely exist in isolation.
What the research shows: The 2014 international concussion guidelines added visual system rehabilitation as a critical component of comprehensive care. The 2022 Consensus Statement on Visual Rehabilitation in mTBI emphasizes that vision problems often co-occur with vestibular, cognitive, and autonomic dysfunction, requiring integrated treatment.
Best for: Patients with multiple post-concussion symptoms beyond just vision; persistent symptoms that haven't responded to isolated treatments
Timeline: Intensive programs can achieve significant improvement in 1-2 weeks
Advantages: Addresses the interconnected nature of brain injury symptoms; combines vision therapy with physical therapy, cognitive therapy, and vestibular rehabilitation
If your eye doctor told you your vision is fine but you're still struggling, you're not alone. Standard eye exams test visual acuity, meaning how clearly you see letters on a chart at a distance. They don't assess:
This is why many patients hear "your eyes are healthy" while continuing to struggle with reading, screens, and visually busy environments.
What to do instead:
Seek evaluation from a neuro-optometrist or developmental optometrist who specializes in functional vision assessment. You can find qualified practitioners through:
During a functional vision exam, the provider will test binocular vision, accommodation, eye tracking, and how your visual system integrates with other brain functions.
If you're experiencing both vision problems and dizziness after your concussion, they're likely connected. Your brain relies on three systems to maintain balance and spatial orientation:
When these systems don't agree, or when one is sending unreliable information, you experience dizziness, disorientation, or motion sensitivity.
Signs your dizziness is related to vision:
Signs your dizziness involves the vestibular system:
Signs your dizziness involves autonomic dysfunction:
Many patients have dysfunction in multiple systems. When vision and vestibular problems coexist, treatment that addresses only one system often provides incomplete relief. This is why neurointegration therapy, which helps vision, vestibular, and cognitive systems work together properly, can be more effective than treating each in isolation.
Further reading: Vestibular therapy after a concussion
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At Cognitive FX, we take a different approach than treating vision problems in isolation. Our EPIC Treatment program uses functional MRI (fNCI) to identify exactly which brain regions are affected, then delivers targeted, intensive therapy to address root causes rather than just symptoms.
Every patient receives a Functional Neurocognitive Imaging (fNCI) scan at the start of treatment. This specialized MRI shows us not just whether brain regions are active, but whether they're communicating efficiently. We often see patients whose visual processing regions show abnormal activity patterns even though their eyes are healthy.
For example, we might discover that your visual mechanism is functioning properly, but blood flow to your visual processing areas is reduced. This explains why reading exhausts your brain even though you can see the words clearly.
Dynavision: A computerized light board that challenges visual tracking, peripheral awareness, and reaction time. We customize exercises based on your fNCI results and specific symptoms.
Brock String: A simple but effective tool for retraining eye convergence that patients can continue using at home.
Visual Tracking Exercises: Targeted activities to improve eye movement control and coordination.
Neurointegration Therapy: Exercises that help your brain, visual system, and vestibular system work together harmoniously. This is especially important when vision problems are causing dizziness or balance issues.
Most vision therapy programs treat eyes in isolation, with weekly appointments over several months. Our intensive approach combines vision rehabilitation with:
By addressing multiple systems simultaneously in an intensive format, we often see faster, more comprehensive improvement than isolated treatments can achieve.
We can make significant progress with vision symptoms during our one-week intensive program, but we're honest that not all vision issues resolve completely in that timeframe. Some patients need continued vision therapy at home or with a local specialist. We'll refer you to qualified providers in your area and send you home with specific exercises tailored to your remaining needs.
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Keep in mind that we can’t solve all vision issues in just one week. While we’re able to make significant progress with the regions of the brain governing vision, some patients will need extra help with vision when they go home. We’ll either refer you to a specialist in your hometown or send you home with specific exercises to help with the problems you’re facing.
In addition to these strategies to help vision, we offer therapies such as:
All these therapies work together to combat the root causes of persistent concussion symptoms to promote a more full recovery.
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Want to know what our patients experience? Here are five stories of patients who had post-concussion syndrome — including vision problems and other common symptoms.
Hayley sustained four concussions in her career as an elite collegiate and U.S. National Volleyball Team player. However, she didn’t immediately attribute the many debilitating symptoms she was experiencing to those concussions because they didn’t appear right away. She suffered from a host of typical concussion symptoms: insomnia, headaches, dizziness, vision problems, balance issues, and cognitive processing difficulties.
Hayley came to believe these symptoms resulted from returning to play too quickly after her concussions, and she medically retired from volleyball. Many of those symptoms then stabilized, but she was still living with cognitive and processing issues, fatigue, sleep problems, and migraines. She sought help from numerous doctors from a variety of disciplines, but she didn’t find much relief except through medication. However, life-long medication was not a treatment option she wanted to accept.
Additional reading: What it’s like living with post-concussion syndrome
A close family friend encouraged Hayley to try treatment at Cognitive FX. She was immediately impressed by the support of the staff and felt relieved to be understood. She was also encouraged by Cognitive FX’s belief that “no symptom is too small and no concussion is too old to be treated,” she said.
The doctors and therapists at Cognitive FX create an individualized treatment plan for each patient based on the results of the initial fNCI and other assessments. In Hayley’s case, for example, the scan showed that her visual mechanism was fine, but that there wasn’t enough blood flow going to the part of her brain that does visual processing. This explained why reading had become so difficult for her.
“My brain would get so tired that it would just sort of give up, because it was just too much for my brain to try to process what it was seeing and what it was supposed to be understanding,” she said.
Hayley refers to the difficult week of treatment at Cognitive FX as “Brain Boot Camp.” She experienced symptoms that she hadn’t had in months as the connections in the brain were being reestablished throughout the week. She felt as if her brain “rebooted” near the end of treatment, and she experienced one of the worst migraines she’d ever had. However, on the last day of treatment, as the headache receded, she realized that her visual processing, cognitive processing, and verbal reasoning were becoming more and more clear throughout the day.
Her feelings were validated when the fNCI she received on the last day of treatment showed that blood flow to the part of her brain that performs visual processing had gone from nearly zero to almost perfect.
Hayley summed up her feelings at the end of treatment by saying, “I am hopeful. I am amazed. I am a bit confused. I’m not really sure how all of this works, but it does! It’s incredible that they understand brain injuries and are working so hard to support people with brain injuries in a non-invasive and non-medicated manner. We have a long way to go as a country, especially in sports, in dealing with brain injury — in recognizing and treating and supporting people that have invisible injuries and ‘seem fine.’”
Want to get help from the team that worked with Hayley? Sign up for a consultation.
Kathleen lived the life of a typical full-time mom before her injury. She was busy with her children, schoolwork, and errands. After her accident, she felt like she was living under a cloud. She suffered from mental confusion. It took all of her energy to carry on a simple conversation. Her vision was blurry, her balance was “horrendous,” and she was emotionally unstable. “It was not great!” she said.
Treatment at Cognitive FX was not easy for Kathleen. “The first three days were kind of a living hell,” she admitted. In fact, she almost didn’t go back for the fourth day of treatment. She had noticed some improvements on Wednesday — she felt the fog had lifted and her mental processing was better — but she was absolutely spent and exhausted.
However, on Thursday, she woke up and noticed her vision was back. She said, “I saw clear lines. I saw straight edges. They weren’t fuzzy anymore; they were clear.” She wasn’t tired anymore. Not only that, she was able to do yoga poses that she hadn’t been able to do since before her accident. She could control her emotions. Instead of snapping right away, she found she was able to slow herself down and speak logically. “The progress I made was astounding,” she said.
The improvement in her symptoms was so amazing that Kathleen feared it was too good to be true. She feared regression after treatment. However, the staff at Cognitive FX remained positive and encouraging, assuring her that she would keep the gains she’d made. Even though she still has a few lingering symptoms, she trusts the progress she’s made, and she’s hopeful for the future.
Kathleen praised the Cognitive FX staff for helping her through the treatment. “They push you, but they know where your limits are, and they’re very supportive,” she shared.
Kathleen says that treatment at Cognitive FX was a really good experience, but it was also “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” she admitted. “However, it had the biggest payoff. I mean, what would you give to have your brain back?”
Jamie went from being a professional skier, traveling around the world to compete, to having to relearn how to do everything — even how to swallow water and walk — after a life-threatening accident during a competition. Her life and focus changed dramatically as she realized she was not going to be able to go back to being a professional skier, and she had to figure out what to do next.
Four years after her traumatic brain injury (TBI), Jamie came to Cognitive FX for treatment. One of the things she really liked about the treatment was the challenge of having to multitask during all of the therapies. For example, during the Dynavision therapy, she had to hit lights with her hands as they lit up on the board, while standing on a Bosu balance trainer. “To be able to do all those things at once was really challenging for me, and I like to be challenged,” she said. “So, I really enjoyed actually pushing my mind.”
Another therapy she had never done before involved lights flashing on opposite walls. Not only was she required to hit the lights as she ran back and forth, but she was assigned to hit only certain colored lights with each hand. “I had to think of all that while I was sprinting back and forth, hitting the lights,” she recalled. “It was really cool to work multiple things in my brain at the same time.”
The focus on engaging cognitive skills was something that Jamie also appreciated. The results of her fNCI indicated that certain areas of her brain weren’t working as efficiently as they should, and the therapies she underwent were specifically targeted to improve those areas. Cognitive skills were something she had been neglecting.
At the end of treatment, Jamie felt as if she had been improving and making progress, but she was afraid the follow-up fNCI wouldn’t scientifically prove it. She started crying when the before and after results showed dramatic improvement. She admitted, “I didn’t think it would be emotional, but it meant so much to me that I improved that much after just one week.”
It was validating to see the evidence of improvement in her affected neuropathways on the scan, but she also noticed improvements in her daily life in areas such as word retention. She explained, “If I think of a word, and I’m blocked on it, instead of it going farther away, it will come back to me, and I’ll remember it.”
She’s also noticed that she’s better at making plans and following the shifts of conversations. “Everyone around me has actually seen some of the changes since I came to the boot camp,” as she calls Cognitive FX.
Jamie is now busy finishing her education and working as a talk show host on the Brain Injury Radio Network. Her new passion is being a motivational storyteller.
“I’m pretty excited that I did this at this time, because I feel like I can make steps in the career paths I want to go in, and I can make it much more efficiently and easily because I went to Cognitive FX.” She added, “And I would recommend it to just about anyone who’s had a brain injury. Don’t just settle. Come heal.”
Want to get help from the team that worked with Jamie? Sign up for a consultation.
“Life before Cognitive FX was extremely hard,” Angela said. After her concussion, she suffered from nausea, dizziness, and constant fatigue. She had vision problems; she couldn’t read. She was unable to work for a year. She felt frustrated, helpless, and alone, and often felt like she was going crazy. “Every day was a struggle,” she added.
Additional reading: Emotional symptoms after a concussion
All of that changed with treatment at Cognitive FX. Angela warns future patients that the days of treatment were hard and long, but she adds that it was completely worth it in the end. “This is an amazing place that offers hope, comfort, and excitement. The people that you will meet in treatment are phenomenal.”
By day two of treatment, her vision was better, she could read better, and she was able to memorize better. By the end of the week, almost all of her symptoms had gone away. She realized, “I am not tired. I feel like I’ve got energy. I can see clearer. I can see more around me, whereas before, my peripheral vision was extremely bad.”
The gains she made during treatment have given Angela hope for the future. She’s excited about going back to work, school, and being a mom to her kids. She’s looking forward to ordinary things such as being able to go to a crowded, noisy restaurant without wearing sunglasses, being able to read the menu, and just hanging out with friends.
Angela has this advice for others who are suffering from post-concussion symptoms: “If you can get here, get here! Do whatever you can! There is hope; there is a place that will love you; there is a place that knows exactly how to treat you!”
Before coming to Cognitive FX, Hannah had lost hope of ever getting better. Her goal had been just to be able to function “well enough.” She had really bad vision problems right after her head injury. Light of any sort was “distorted” in her vision. A naturally social person, she didn’t feel like herself. Social situations became difficult and frustrating, which only added to the stress of dealing with a concussion.
She met with 15 different doctors both in Norway, where the injury happened, and in the U.S., but they all had different opinions and ideas about treatment. Some told her she had to put her life completely on hold for a year to go to appointments three times a week. Many wanted to treat her with medication alone. But Hannah didn’t want to mask her symptoms; she wanted a true cure.
Hannah heard about Cognitive FX from a couple of friends who had completed treatment at Cognitive FX with amazing results. They assured her that even though the results sounded almost too good to be true, the treatment really did work, and patients are taught the skills they need to continue to make progress at home. This was just what Hannah was looking for.
During treatment, Hannah appreciated that the specialized therapists used the results of her fNCI to develop treatments that were tailor-made for her brain and its specific injuries. She said that an added benefit was that most of the treatments had a fun edge to them instead of just being painful as they had been elsewhere.
After her treatment, she noticed significant improvement and felt so much better that she had “100% faith” she would return to being truly herself again. “I’m excited to get back to school and work and go back to life as I wanted it to be, instead of letting my concussion hold me back,” she said.
Most post-concussion vision problems are not permanent, even if they persist for months or years without treatment. The brain has remarkable neuroplasticity, meaning it can form new connections and pathways with the right rehabilitation. Vision therapy success rates of 85-100% for common post-concussion conditions demonstrate that these problems are treatable even long after the initial injury.
Permanent vision loss is rare after concussion and is more associated with direct eye trauma or severe traumatic brain injury affecting the optic nerve.
Your brain has limited resources. When you're tired, stressed, or ill, there's less energy available for the demanding work of visual processing. This is why symptoms often worsen late in the day, during illness, or when you're under pressure at work or home. It's also why some people only notice vision problems under certain conditions.
If your vision problems are caused by how your brain processes visual information rather than how light enters your eyes, a standard glasses prescription won't help. However, specialized lenses such as prism glasses or FL-41 tinted lenses may provide relief for specific symptoms. A neuro-optometrist can determine whether specialized lenses would benefit you.
If your only post-concussion symptom is a specific, isolated vision problem like convergence insufficiency, vision therapy alone may be sufficient. However, if you have multiple symptoms (headaches, cognitive difficulties, fatigue, emotional changes, sleep problems) or if vision therapy hasn't fully resolved your symptoms, a comprehensive approach that addresses the interconnected nature of brain injury may be more effective.
Yes. Children's brains have even greater neuroplasticity than adults, making them highly responsive to rehabilitation. However, vision problems in children can significantly impact school performance, social development, and self-esteem, so early intervention is important. Watch for complaints about reading, avoiding schoolwork, headaches during homework, or difficulty in sports that require tracking objects.
Coverage varies significantly by plan and provider. Vision therapy is often not covered by vision insurance but may be partially covered by medical insurance when prescribed for a diagnosed medical condition like post-concussion syndrome. Many specialty brain injury clinics work with patients on payment options. It's worth calling your insurance company to understand your specific coverage before starting treatment.
Many patients notice some improvement within the first few sessions of vision therapy. More substantial and lasting improvement typically develops over 8-16 weeks of consistent treatment. Intensive treatment programs like Cognitive FX's EPIC Treatment can achieve meaningful improvement within one to two weeks, though some patients need continued therapy afterward.
If you've been struggling with vision problems after a concussion, you're not imagining things, and you're not alone. These symptoms are real, they're common, and most importantly, they're treatable.
Peer-reviewed research shows that 77% of patients treated at Cognitive FX experience significant improvement in their post-concussion symptoms. We're the only post-concussion treatment clinic with third-party validated outcomes.
Ready to find out if treatment can help you?
Schedule a consultation with our team to discuss your symptoms and learn whether our approach might be right for your situation. During this call, we'll:
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UC San Diego Health offers various pathways for patients to be assessed and treated for concussions. Their main focus involves treating recently acquiredsports-related head injuries, but patients...
