TBI or Traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury occurs when a sudden trauma, impact or force, is made to the head causing
damage to the brain. Depending on the severity of the trauma, TBI is conceived as mild, moderate, or
severe. Understanding what impairments may be present after a brain trauma will depend on the parts
of the brain which were damaged.
Visual system affected
A person with a traumatic brain injury may experience difficulties with their vision, such as visual field
defects or loss. A visual field, when looking and facing straight ahead, consists of all the space that
should be visible peripherally. Reading, writing, identifying or discriminating between colors, discovering
things environmentally, recognizing words or drawings, and the ability to acknowledge movement may
all be visual concerns for a person with a traumatic brain injury.
Treatments
Considering the differences in severities of traumatic brain injuries, no two treatments are just alike.
Once a person who has suffered a traumatic brain injury is stable, rehabilitation can begin, which is
entirely dependent on an individual basis. However, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech
therapy have been used and proved successful more often than not.
References:
Brain Injury Association of America. (2009-2011). Living With Brain Injury. Retrieved July 5, 2011 from
http://www.biausa.org/living-with-brain-injury.htm.
CDC Injury Prevention. (2000, October 26-27). Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Assessing
Outcomes in Children. Retrieved July 5, 2011 from
http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pdf/TBI_assessing.pdf.
Lehr Jr. Robert P., Ph.D. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2011 from http://www.neuroskills.com/brain.shtml
Office of Communications and Public Liaison. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health. (Last updated 2011, April 15). Traumatic Brain Injury: Hope
Through Research. Retrieved on July 5, 2011 from
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm.
The Brain Injury Recovery Network. (Est. 2003). Therapies That Work. Retrieved July 5, 2011 from
http://tbirecovery.org/Therapies.html and http://tbirecovery.org/wordpress/.
Developed by Ashlei Humpert