Damage to the visual analyzer in military personnel with concussion (clinical cases)

Abstract

Background. Concussion is a damage to the body due to a sudden mechanical impact. Organs and tissues may remain undamaged. Concussion symptoms include disorientation, loss of consciousness (duration from a few minutes to several hours); memory impairment or amnesia; severe headache; nausea and vomiting; change in psycho-emotional state; hearing and vision problems. Brain concussion is the most severe, it is characterized by the development of both general disorders (fainting, impaired breathing, blood circulation, etc.) and those related to the localization of brain tissue damage. Traumatic brain injury caused by explosions or other high-intensity events requires immediate care. The purpose of the study is to identify symptoms of a damage to the visual analyzer in military personnel with concussion in order to develop better strategies for early detection, effective treatment and prevention of the consequences of injuries, which will ultimately reduce their impact and improve visual function in war victims. Materials and methods. Five male patients (10 eyes) aged 30.0 ± 8.2 years were under supervision. Both standard ophthalmic methods (visometry, perimetry, tonometry, biomicroophthalmoscopy, keratorefractometry, Schirmer’s test) and modern special additional examinations such as optical coherence tomography of the macula and optic nerve head, computed tomography of the brain were used. Results. According to the results of the exa-mination, almost all patients had a persistent decrease in visual functions and changes in peripheral vision with normal tonometry indicators in both eyes.

Keywords

• concussion
• postconcussive syndrome
• traumatic brain injury
• military
• persistent vision loss
• examination
• treatment