Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Over 90% of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience visual symptoms like blurred vision, dizziness, and double vision.
Neuro-optometric rehabilitation is a specialized approach focusing on retraining the visual system after brain injuries, concussions, strokes, or neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. This unique therapy helps patients recover visual functions disrupted by trauma to the brain, which can affect how we perceive depth, direction, speed, and color contrast. Studies show that over 90% of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience visual symptoms like blurred vision, dizziness, and double vision—issues that neuro-optometric rehabilitation can address effectively. At Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, Dr. Rick Graebe, FCOVD, offers specialized care to retrain the brain and improve vision, serving patients across Central and Southern Kentucky from our locations in Versailles (greater Lexington area) and Somerset.
Enhancing Brain Function Through Vision Therapy
What Is The Connection Between Vision and Brain Injury?
Many brain injuries, even minor hits to the head, can disrupt the brain’s connection to the eyes, causing visual dysfunctions that aren’t always visible on an MRI or CT scan. Symptoms like:
- Double vision
- Spatial disorientation
- Difficulty focusing
- Eye strain
- Headaches
- Memory loss
often appear days or weeks after an injury, affecting the ability to perform daily tasks.
In fact, research from the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) shows that visual dysfunction is one of the most common side effects of TBI, impacting not just vision but overall quality of life.
If you or a loved one is experiencing visual difficulties following a concussion, stroke, or brain injury, neuro-optometric rehabilitation may be the key to recovery. Vision accounts for 80% of how we gather information. The brain and the eyes are connected. Often times, if you’ve suffered a brain injury, you’ve also suffered some form of functional vision loss.
Symptoms of Learning-Related Vision Problems
Neuro-optometric rehabilitation addresses a range of visual challenges that patients often experience following brain injuries. These symptoms include:
- Double vision (diplopia)
- Blurred vision (asthenopia)
- Anxiety
- Memory Loss
- Eye strain and fatigue
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Difficulty with balance and posture
- Trouble judging movement, speed, and direction
- Problems with hand-eye coordination
- Difficulty differentiating colors
For patients dealing with any of these issues, neuro-optometric rehabilitation can provide a tailored treatment plan to help restore vision and improve overall function.
Why Vision Matters in Learning
This treatment leverages the brain’s natural ability to heal, using specialized exercises, custom lenses, and visual stimuli to re-establish proper communication between the eyes and brain. With Dr. Rick Graebe’s guidance, patients undergo a comprehensive assessment to diagnose specific visual conditions. Dr. Graebe then designs a personalized rehabilitation program that may include targeted exercises, computer-based programs, and prism or therapeutic lenses to address the unique needs of each patient.
Here, we work closely with local physical therapists, neurologists, and other healthcare providers to provide comprehensive neuro-optometric rehabilitation plans that bring real, measurable improvements.
How Dr. Graebe Diagnoses Brain Injury vision Issues
Standard eye exams are typically insufficient for identifying brain injury vision problems. At the Neuro-Visual Performance Institute, Dr. Graebe conducts comprehensive functional vision assessments that go beyond checking for 20/20 vision. His assessment includes tests for eye tracking, teaming, focus flexibility, and visual processing, all crucial for rehabilitation. Using advanced tools and methods, Dr. Graebe can pinpoint specific issues that may be hindering recovery.
As a neuro-rehabilitation specialty office we are attentive to the unique needs of each patient.
A Functional Eye Exam
For the brain injury patient, a standard eye exam is not enough. During a functional eye exam, we will assess the complete visual system, identifying possible underlying issues, and if needed recommend treatment. Vision therapy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it’s a series of tailored exercises and activities conducted under the supervision of Dr. Graebe and his trained team. The therapy aims to retrain the eyes and brain to work together seamlessly.
Common components of therapy include:
- Eye Coordination Exercises: Activities that teach the eyes to focus together accurately, enhancing binocular vision.
- Tracking and Focus Drills: Tasks that improve the eyes’ ability to smoothly follow and focus on moving objects.
- Visual-Motor Exercises: Engaging activities, like catching or tossing objects, that improve eye-hand coordination and spatial awareness.
Are you Reaching your Full Potential?
Dr. Graebe’s Approach: Vision Therapy for brain injury rehabilitation
Dr. Rick Graebe and his team offer vision therapy, a personalized treatment designed to correct issues with eye tracking, eye teaming, and focus control. Vision therapy strengthens the connection between the eyes and brain, enabling patients to recover and resume activities they enjoy faster.
Why Choose Neuro-Visual Performance Institute?
With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Rick Graebe, FCOVD, is dedicated to helping patients regain their quality of life. As a board-certified specialist in neuro-optometric rehabilitation and pediatric eye care, Dr. Graebe has worked with countless individuals to restore essential visual functions disrupted by injury. Our clinic’s locations in Versailles and Somerset are among the few in Central and Southern Kentucky equipped to offer this highly specialized service.
Benefits of Seeing A Brain Injury Specialist
- Identify more than the basics, get to the root of what may be holding back your recovery.
- A warm, friendly, and experienced neuro-rehab eye care team
- Increased confidence by understanding what is really holding you back
Schedule an Evaluation with Dr. Rick Graebe Today!
If you suspect your child’s learning challenges may be related to vision, don’t wait to seek help. Dr. Graebe’s expertise in diagnosing and treating vision-related learning issues through vision therapy can make a profound difference. With offices in Versailles and Somerset, Kentucky, Dr. Graebe proudly serves patients from Lexington, Danville, Nicholasville, and beyond.
Contact Neuro-Visual Performance Institute at 859-879-0089 to schedule a functional vision assessment for your child today. See how Dr. Graebe and his team can help your child thrive in school and beyond.
Versailles Location
105 Crossfield Dr., Suite B
Versailles, KY 40383
P: 859-879-0089
F: 859-214-8008