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Study looks at link between eye movements and TBI

On Behalf of | Sep 15, 2017 | Brain Injury |

It might be possible to detect brain injuries in West Virginia residents through eye tracking. According to a doctor who has been studying the problem, eye movements may be disrupted in two different ways by a concussion. Either neurological pathways are physiologically disrupted or intracranial pressure becomes elevated. At the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance conference, a doctor presented research regarding the correlation between eye movements and traumatic brain injury.

The doctor and her colleagues developed and patented a technology known as EyeBOX. In 2014, a NASA affiliate organization funded a study of reversible eye-tracking and elevated intracranial pressure since conditions for astronauts produce symptoms similar to that of intracranial pressure and the organization hoped the research would help in detecting this.

The device and the study were designed to track involuntary eye movements so it would not be necessary for the subject to be able to follow instructions. No baseline group was required for the study since the eyes of almost 99 percent of people move together. A patient’s eye coordination was measured while tracking a moving square that appeared on a screen along with a music video. The study detected the deterioration of nerve function as intracranial pressure rose.

The research may be useful because after a head injury, it might be some time before a person is diagnosed with a brain injury since symptoms may not appear immediately. This may create problems for a person who suffers brain damage in an accident that is the fault of another party. Usually, a person or entity that causes an accident is financially liable, but in the case of a brain injury, the delay may make it more difficult to prove liability. Therefore, a person who suffers a head injury in an accident might want to have the assistance of an experienced attorney when attempting to obtain appropriate compensation.