In a recent study, investigators from Australia found that visual dysfunction was associated with more than 25% of concussions in children and may be linked to lengthier recovery time.
Investigators found that children who experience visual dysfunction after a concussion have a recovery time that is nearly a month longer than those who did not, which could cause issues when attempting to perform day-to-day tasks. 138 children who attended the concussion clinic had a medical diagnosis of sport or physical activity related concussion. Investigators used a Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) to determine concussion-related visual dysfunction.
Their findings showed that children who experienced visual dysfunction and a longer mean recovery time (63.67 days) compared to those who had not (39.24 days). The investigators found no association between age and VOMS outcome and age, occurrence of multiple concussion, or number of previous concussions. Investigators noted that females (42.4%) were almost twice as likely to have a positive VOMS result compared to males (23.3%) examined.