Brain Injuries
Dr. Nguyen frequently sees patients with brain injuries and/or neurological disorders, including those with stroke, TBI, concussions, cerebral palsy and various genetic disorders. A visual dysfunction is likely to be present and is often an interference for these patients. A thorough functional vision assessment (minimum 90 minutes) is scheduled to determine the impact of the injury/condition on everyday performance.
Treatment options:
Therapeutic lenses: Lenses can be used (often incorporating PRISMS) to eliminate/decrease double vision or to help with balance.
Optometric Vision Therapy: An individualized treatment program to develop/enhance the functioning of the visual system.
Concussions
Dr. Nguyen, OD has treated post-concussion patients for more than 20 years. In the past, these patients were mainly adult, car-accident victims and were referred by rehabilitation facilities. Recently, the practice has seen a major increase in children and teens with sports-related concussions. The visual problems resulting from these injuries are often not correctly diagnosed. Along with vestibular problems, the visual effects of a concussion are what prevents the patient from returning to pre-concussion status.
Post-concussive visual symptoms:
- Unusual fatigue with reading, computer work, tv watching or driving
- Headaches, dizziness or nausea with above activities
- Sensitivity to light
- Discomfort with normal movements of objects in front of the patient
- Intermittent blurring when reading
Treatment Options:
Lenses: Many patients can be helped immediately with tinted lenses, prism glasses and/or a change in everyday reading or distance glasses.
Optometric Vision Therapy: Some, but not all, patients can benefit greatly from vision therapy.
Neuro-Optometric Evaluation
Please contact the office today if you are interested in more information or to schedule a Neuro-optometric Evaluation.
Learning Related Vision Issues
Vision has a direct impact on learning and concentrating. Obvious visual symptoms which may have an impact on academic performance are blurred and/or double vision. Less obvious signs, such as poor ocular movements, poor binocular vision and/or poor focusing skills, can be just as harmful to one’s ability to learn. Vision issues which impact learning can be either developmental, stress-induced or both. Testing that focuses on eye sight and eye health and that does not evaluate all aspects of vision is inadequate and will not identify learning-related vision issues. A complete developmental evaluation including sensorimotor and operational thinking activities is necessary to evaluate the effect of visual issues on learning/school performance. Click HERE to learn more about Developmental Exams.
Treatment for learning-related visual issues does not address specific educational skills such as reading or writing, but instead improves the visual building blocks necessary to be able to focus, concentrate and problem-solve. After a complete Developmental Vision Exam, Dr. Nguyen may recommend therapeutic, stress-reducing lenses and/or Optometric Vision Therapy to address learning-related vision issues.
Sports Vision
Good visual abilities are critical to the success of any athlete. Both serious and casual athletes must develop their vision in the same way they must develop and improve their bodies. Visual deficiencies can limit athletic performance and developing better vision (specifically sensorimotor skills) results in faster and more accurate reactions.
As a life-long sports enthusiast, Dr. Nguyen, OD has a special interest in sports and vision. He has worked as a vision consultant for the Titleist Performance Institute (for professional golfers) and with several NFL teams, for whom he did vision performance testing with potential players.
In his McLean office, Dr. Nguyen has seen many patients specifically for the improvement of athletic performance, including college athletes, high school players of various sports and elementary school children fearful of PE/recess. Dr. Nguyen is an avid golfer, and he has evaluated and advised a number of golfers concerning the impact of vision on their golf game.
Please call the office if you would like to schedule a sports-related vision exam.