Versional eye tracking in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI): Effects of oculomotor training (OMT)

Abstract

The versional-based OMT had a significant, positive effect on most aspects of versional tracking. These findings are suggestive of improved rhythmicity, accuracy and sequencing of saccades following OMT in mTBI as a result of oculomotor learning.

Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatic Vestibulopathy and Postconcussive Dizziness

“…The investigators not only found improvement in symptoms but also found significant improvement in errors in horizontal vergence. 43 Cervical spine physical therapy was shown to resolve symptoms in 73% of 15 patients with mTBI compared with only 7% in a control group. 44 SUMMARY mTBI is an increasingly common public health issue.…”

Statements of Agreement From the Targeted Evaluation and Active Management (TEAM) Approaches to Treating Concussion Meeting Held in Pittsburgh, October 15-16, 2015

“…141 There is already published empirical evidence that concussion is treatable through active approaches involving earlier activity, 35 aerobic exertion, 142 vestibular, 85,132 and vision 143 therapies. Overall, these studies demonstrate that active treatments are more effective than rest-based approaches.…”

“…16,114,138 The treatment of concussion symptoms and impairments is evolving. Past practice of prolonged rest (see DiFazio et al, 2016) 50 has advanced to current hypotheses on the benefits of more active approaches to rehabilitation including vestibular, 132,144 oculomotor/vision, 143,145 and behavioral 146 therapies. Active rehabilitation involves an interdisciplinary approach directed at addressing and treating the specific, individual symptoms, impairments, and clinical profiles that may be identified at clinical presentation.…”

“…144 Similarly, the efficacy of vision therapy was recently reported to be beneficial for patients with concussion and mild TBI that exhibited common oculomotor issues such as reading difficulty, vergence, accommodation, saccade, or pursuit impairment. 143,145 Vision therapy (orthoptics), employs a variety of vision exercises and tools designed to improve oculomotor control, focusing, coordination, and teaming. In addition to vestibular rehabilitation and vision therapy, exercise prescribed as an adjunct to other therapies or medication may reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, 161,162 and may prevent or modify the intensity of migraines that often accompany concussion.…”

Current and Emerging Rehabilitation for Concussion

“…They reported that 90% of patients improved markedly or completely in symptoms and subjective reports of enhanced reading at a 2-3 month follow-up. A recent study involving 12 subjects following mTBI, Thiagarajan and colleagues(77)demonstrated that an oculomotor training program targeting the version, vergence, and accommodation components of the ocular motor system significantly improved the amplitudes of vergence and accommodation, accuracy of saccadic eye movements and overall reading.…”