Optic nerve injury leads to vision loss

Nearly 19 per cent of the road traffic accidents in Tamil Nadu cause damage to the optic nerves. The state has recorded an alarming 60 per cent rise in deaths in road mishaps in the past 11 years, from 9,571 in 2001 to 16,175 in 2012. Many of those involved in the accidents experienced major disruptions in their professional and private lives because of vision changes resulting from a head injury. "One always is concerned about the injuries on the head. Sometimes a direct or indirect injury to the optic nerves could cause problems with vision, too. But this can't be noticed immediately," says Dr Krishna Kumar R, principal, Elite School of Optometry (ESO) run by the Sankara Nethralaya here.

Visual perceptual dysfunction is one of the most common devastating residual impairments of head injury and is a growing concern in the country where major road accidents are constantly increasing, he said.

An article published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology by Harsha Bhattacharjee, MS, and co-researchers investigating into the association of posterior indirect traumatic optic neuropathy and superior temporal orbital rim injury in two-wheeler riders found that out of 129 consecutive cases of cranio-orbital injury, 35 had posterior indirect traumatic optic neuropathy with minor ipsilateral superior temporal orbital rim trauma and none used any protective headwear.

The remaining 94 cases sustained direct blinding ocular trauma and 28 of them had associated intracranial pathology. The bottom line on head injuries and eye problems is if you had

any kind of head injury and having eye symptoms, don't wait. Consult a specialist who can provide the right diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that works.