A simple eye operation that rids a victim of brain injury of fluid has been proven to help patients retain 20/20 vision according to studies in the US.
20/20 Operation
The operation, which can be performed many months after their injury, was performed by simply removing viscous fluid from patient’s eyes after they had suffered a brain injury. Following a traumatic brain injury, the eyes can sometimes haemorrhage and leave liquid sitting between the eye lens and the retina.
The fluid heavily alters visual capabilities and restricts the victim’s vision both partially and in more severe cases fully. The post-operation results have seen patients who struggled to see anything prior, achieve perfect vision shortly afterwards, reducing the impact of the brain trauma damage.
No limitation on time?
The study undertaken, looked at the returning vision of patients operated on within 3 months of their injury and compared it to those who were operated on after 3 months of injury. With traumatic brain injuries it can take a long time for the body and brain to be stable enough that doctors can operate. The study was designed to find out if eyesight returned any worse for those who had to wait to assess whether it was worth the risks of operating early. to potentially give patients better eyesight long-term.
Thankfully the study showed that a very large proportion of patients managed to retain 20/20 vision regardless of how long they had to wait for their body to be ready to operate on. Dr Rajendra S. Apte at Washington University School of Medicine spoke on the tests. When asked about whether the wait affected vision, he stated “These patients often have other issues related to brain injury, and we can’t work on the eye until a patient has stabilized”.
“In the majority of cases, it appears vision can be restored, even if the surgery is done several months after a traumatic brain injury.”
The study will help medical professionals make important decisions on when to operate on brain injury victims and attempt to correct their vision.
Suffering less
While many aspects of a traumatic brain injury are currently incurable and research into limiting and preventing long term effects of the injuries is ongoing, it is positive that the research has shown steps can be taken to ease the load on what is a very testing injury.
If one of your loved ones has suffered from a traumatic brain injury and it was caused by negligence, you could be entitled to claim compensation top help with their rehabilitation, care and treatment.,
To find out if you have a claim call one of our advisers today on 01695 722 222. Alternatively you can view our brain injury section of the website to read about the process of a brain injury claim or you can get in touch via our contact page.