Post concussive symptoms can include sensitivities to things that you could previously tolerate. You may find yourself particularly susceptible to high pitched sounds, bright lights, or simply too much going on in your environment. This may be better when your brain is rested, and get worse when you are tired.
Examples of Sensitivity to Sound:
- Difficulty tolerating noisy environments
- Sense of tension is busy places
- Experiencing high pitched or loud sounds as painful
- Ringing in ears (tinnitus), which may or may not be constant
Strategies:
- Wear ear plugs to muffle or soften noise
- Experiment with what works best. You may need a quiet environment, or you may find soft background noise helpful.
- Try a white noise machine or a loud fan
- Keep a radio playing softly in the background. Sounds can be worst when they occur suddenly in a quiet environment.
- Ask your doctor for a referral to an audiologist
Examples of Vision Difficulties
- Sensitivity to bright lights
- Seeing double
- Difficulty focusing your sight
- Trouble reading
- Not able to tolerate television or computer screens
- Headaches, nausea or dizziness
Strategies:
- Wear sun glasses or turn off overhead lights to dim the room
- Don’t spend extended periods of time watching television or computer screens
- Use a piece of paper to follow written material, line by line.
- Pace yourself and give you eyes a rest as needed. If you experience an increase in symptoms, it is a sign to take a break.
- If symptoms do not resolve in time, ask your doctor for a referral to a ophthalmologist. There are a number of ways they can help.
Links for More Tips – click on titles to go to these sites:
The Important Role of Brain Filters
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