• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

How Light Returns Clarity & Hope to a Foggy Brain

There's more than one way to battle brain fog

in Brain Fog, Brain Function, Functional Neurology, Vision
September 27, 2021
0
How Light Returns Clarity & Hope to a Foggy Brain

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D., Executive Research Director at The Mind-Eye Institute

Healthy brains are able to interpret and respond to the environment at many different levels almost instantaneously. So, it is not surprising that patients who have sustained a traumatic head injury or concussion, which oftentimes damages or scrambles brain circuitry, may exhibit information-processing (neurocognitive) deficits affecting their ability to interact in appropriate ways with people, activities, and events in the world around them.

Experts call the problem “brain fog”: an obscuring or shrouding of one’s thoughts; lack of clear thinking, focus, and concentration; confusion; memory issues; decreased reaction time; and difficulties comprehending – or remembering – what has just been learned, read, or been heard during social conversation. The Mind-Eye Institute sees patients who often complain of brain fog. One patient recently described her brain fog in this way:

“I was unable to do simple, everyday activities. I could no longer cook because my brain was unable to signal my hand to turn off the stove when my sense of smell indicated that food was burning. In the supermarket, I was overwhelmed with sounds, lights, smells, and the need to make decisions. I could no longer do calculations or keep track of time or use the computer. I had problems spelling words, writing words in cursive, and reading. I would read a paragraph from a book and forget what I just read.”

Another patient explained her brain fog as “Nothing making sense to me any longer. I would think, ‘Oh, I should do the laundry,’ but that is as far as I would take it. I never thought to gather up the clothes and get them cleaned. I would walk into a room and go completely blank: ‘Who am I; where am I?’ Then I would look at my feet and jog my memory, ‘Oh, yes, I am me, and I am standing in the bathroom.’”

Simply put, a brain injury interferes with visual processing, namely the simultaneous ability of the brain to take in external sensory signals (from eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) at all levels – unconscious, subconscious, conscious, meld them with one’s internal sensory signals, and then process the information. When retinal processing is dysfunctional and foggy, so is one’s understanding of the surrounding environment. Correct understanding is what is necessary for organizing, planning, and making decisions.

In a recent blog on my website, I related how a near accident involving a ridesharing van serves as a perfect example of levels of brain function. I was with a party of four about to embark on a relatively short ride in a ridesharing vehicle. Two of our group were already seated, one was waiting behind me, and I was literally stepping into the van when the driver started to pull away. My immediate action was to let out a primal scream and grab the door tighter – simply hold on as best I could. It was an unconscious, instantaneous, reflexive response for survival. Sensory processing then kicked in at a subconscious level as I became more aware of my environment of seeing and feeling the van moving. Finally, when my perception – and understanding — of the incident rose to consciousness, I was able to start yelling to the driver, “Stop,” which he did.

Because my visual processing and senses are intact, all these levels of perception – from reflex to awareness of the environment to consciousness – occurred nearly instantaneously, allowing me to react and appropriately respond to what was happening in my world. As the renowned cognitive neuroscientist A.R. Luria pointed out in his many publications, the healthy brain functions using multiple signaling circuits at various speeds. Of course, the differences in speed can be calculated in milliseconds or even nanoseconds.

Research has demonstrated the retina is a piece of brain tissue which is part of our body’s central nervous system. It not only sends the brain environmental signals through eyesight at a conscious level, but also from luminance (external light) that disperses across the retina at an unconscious level. Concurrently, the retina receives feedback signals from the body through informational pathways in the brain. This continuing process of feeding forward signals to the brain from the environment and receiving feedback signals from various brain structures makes the retina a two-way portal for influencing and monitoring thought processes and body functions, including posture, movement, and, of course, motor reflexes, such as my tightly gripping the door of the moving vehicle and screaming.

Each of our eyes contains approximately 126 million light-sensitive receptors. Input from the receptors moves through a sophisticated filtering system, which compresses the information into about 1.2 million signals that exit each eyeball. These signals travel across and radiate from the optic nerve through the many pathways inside the brain. In fact, the retina connects with many systems other than eyesight, including structures in the brain’s cortex, cerebellum, and limbic system, as well as midbrain and brainstem. All these structures affect the body’s reactions and responses, including activity in such systems as endocrine, respiratory, circulatory, circadian, digestive, and musculoskeletal.

With the retina having such an important impact on so many systems at different levels, any disruption in the retinal processing cycle due to head injury can cause a cascade of debilitating symptoms, including brain fog. Retinal processing is one portion of visual processing. Patients with retinal-processing deficits usually lack some degree of synchronization between their perception and target location. They often have difficulty visualizing auditory space, having difficulty determining where and from which direction sound emanates.

The Mind-Eye Institute applies new science discoveries to test patients’ retinal processing capabilities on many levels. Careful analysis results in a prescription of individualized activities and, most notably, “brain” glasses or Brainwear™, designed for comfort. With highly customized “brain” glasses, we are able to vary the amount, intensity, and angle of light passing through the retina and, in so doing, resynchronize a patient’s senses, particularly eyesight and hearing, as well as help the brain build new informational pathways.

Peripheral visual skills, which are required in today’s modern society with its mobile phone screens, movie and video-game special effects, highly-trafficked streets, and constant scanning of rolling information on computer displays and GPS systems, are becoming more important to assess. Properly functioning peripheral eyesight is necessary for normal visual processing to occur. Mind-Eye testing emphasizes peripheral visual skills, internal visualization, and linkage between auditory space perception and visual space perception. Glasses prescribed for these purposes tend to be comfortable, and patients have fewer symptoms while on the long road to recuperation.

Speaking of roads, just as the sun eventually burns away the early morning fog enshrouding a highway, so light passing through specially prescribed lenses can burn away the fog of an injured brain. Thanks to advanced scientific practices, the Mind-Eye Institute is striving to return quality life to many patients with traumatic brain injuries.

Let there be light!

Deborah Zelinsky, O.D., is a Chicago optometrist who founded the Mind-Eye Connection, now known as the Mind-Eye Institute. She is a clinician and brain researcher with a mission of building better brains by changing the concept of eye examinations into brain evaluations. For the past three decades, her research has been dedicated to interactions between the eyes and ears, bringing 21st-century research into optometry, thus bridging the gap between neuroscience and eye care. www.mindeye.com/tbiquiz

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Brain Fog & TBI

Brain Fog & TBI

SIGN UP

BLOG

Eye-Ear Connection Plays Major Role in Proprioception

Eye-Ear Connection Plays Major Role in Proprioception

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. “Vestibular information is integrated with proprioceptive and other sensory inputs to generate our sense of motion,” say authors of a recent study published in a 2021 issue of Current Opinion in Physiology (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cophys.2020.12.001). This explains why patients with vestibular sensory loss or other vestibular impairments find “everyday activities like walking” to […]

Read more
Proprioception and TBI

Proprioception and TBI

by James A. Heuer, PA Proprioception, simplified, is disturbed balance. Proprioception is how a person knows the position of the body, the location of their legs or arms, and how their head is held. It is the awareness of where the body is, and it is learned throughout a person’s lifespan. As muscles strengthen, they […]

Read more
Smoky Quartz for Balancing and Grounding

Smoky Quartz for Balancing and Grounding

By Kristen Brown Owning your place and space in the world takes a powerful mindset. Whether it’s navigating terrain physically or navigating situations mentally and emotionally, you will always find opportunities to see and feel where you’re at in the moment. One simple way to bring more awareness to your body, mind, and spirit is […]

Read more
This Professional Speaker & Auctioneer Couldn't Talk Her Way Out of Brain Injury Symptoms

This Professional Speaker & Auctioneer Couldn’t Talk Her Way Out of Brain Injury Symptoms

By Ed Roth Letitia Frye will be the first to tell you she doesn’t sugar coat anything. But she did try to hide a few things, namely the ocular and physical limitations her brain injury caused her at work and home. West Coast-born, East-Coast raised, Letitia doesn’t have a 9-5 desk job or a typical […]

Read more
Our Children are Our Legacy: Ensuring a Daughter's Success

Our Children are Our Legacy: Ensuring a Daughter’s Success

By Ian Hebeisen 20 years ago, Mike Lang returned home to find his house empty – not unusual, since he knew his wife Kelly and their two daughters were at a ballet rehearsal. Upon checking the answering machine, however, Mike learned that they never made it to their destination. “The message was from our friend […]

Read more
Joy Essential Oil

Joy Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
From Concussion to Competition

From Concussion to Competition

By Mohammed Elamir, MD, FACP, Aviv Clinics Physician When 14-year-old Linden Perry came to Aviv Clinics, we asked about her expectations of our program. “I just want to be me,” she answered. It’s a response we hear frequently at Aviv Clinics, where our unique, comprehensive medical program helps people improve their brain function. Whether they […]

Read more
Proprioception: a Mind-Body Connection

Proprioception: a Mind-Body Connection

by Dr. Kassie Kaas, DC Proprioception, also referred to as kinesthesia, is defined as your ability to sense your movement or body position. That internal awareness helps you determine if you are standing, seated, in motion, or experiencing a gravitational force even with your eyes closed. Millions of special receptors located in joints, tendons, skin […]

Read more
Mexican Fried Rice

Mexican Fried Rice

by Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 7 oz. (300g) chicken breast 2 cloves garlic, crushed scant ½ cup (100g) rice 2 tbsp. coconut oil ½ red onion, chopped 1 red pepper, diced ⅜ cup (100g) sweetcorn, drained ½ cup (100g) red kidney beans, drained 1 tomato, peeled, chopped 1 avocado, stone removed, flesh diced […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • Neuro fatigue is beyond tired, it’s when you’re brain says “I’ve had enough” and shuts down everything. It often a sneaks up on you when you least expect it, making it hard to manage. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it’s truly hard to understand. But please believe us when we tell you we’re done and need to rest. And that rest may look different for everyone. Some may need a nap. Some may just need a quiet space. There’s no right or wrong way to rest. 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • A traumatic brain injury is the ultimate “invisible injury” as no one can see what’s happening inside your brain. Even imaging doesn’t show a TBI (unless you have bleeding or severe trauma). It’s impossible to explain to others, and even doctors don’t take us seriously or know how to help us. 

It is incredibly frustrating to go through life being told “there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to give it more time and see what happens” and even more frustrating when you find out that there are doctors out there who truly DO know how to help us!  Like @integratedbraincenters 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #functionalneurology #braininjuryawareness
  • I remember how I would literally need to lay down after taking a shower because it was so exhausting. And something like going to the grocery store and bringing them in and putting them away would require me to do nothing else for the rest of the day. It was a one-chore kind of activity. 

These are normal, every day things we take for granted before brain injury, and afterwards they require soooo much energy and effort. It’s truly hard for someone who hasn’t experienced a brain injury to understand. 💚

#braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #braininjuryawareness #TBIsurvivor
  • You totally got this!! 
Is it gonna be easy? Nope. 
Is it gonna be worth it? Absolutely! 

#tbi #braininjury #concussion #pcs #TBIrecovery #TBIsurvivor
  • The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide is trending on Kickstarter! We’re over half-way to our goal! Can you help us get there by pre-ordering an autographed copy of the book?? 

LINK IN BIO 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brainhealthmag/the-chair-yoga-pocket-guide

#chairyoga #accessibleyoga #chairyogateacher #chairyogabook #chairyogaworkshop #accessibilityinyoga #kickstarter @kickstarter #chairyogaauthor #author #mnyoga
  • I remember folks would talk to me and my brain would take forever to process what they were saying. They would be into the next subject and I’d still be trying to decipher their first sentence. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

Friends would tell me to “try harder” and concentrate. But that’s not how it works with brain injury. 

It’s like if you drop your laptop and scramble it’s processor. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • #Repost @integratedbraincenters
Recovery as defined in the dictionary is a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. 

Missing from this definition is that recovery is a continuum. We often hear in recovery post surgery that a patient is a percent recovered (Sue is 80% recovered post hip replacement) demonstrating that recovery is not an all or nothing situation but is rather a spectrum. 

Not everyone will make a 100% recovery but most people can move forward in their recovery in some way, even if it is only 10% or 70%. 

To say that recovery is not possible in any capacity is probably untrue. The more severe the injury the more likely you will never be the same person you were prior, but that does not mean that you can’t get back to doing the things you love and contribute to your family and community.

#beaininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #resilience #resiliency #TBIsurvivor
  • No two brain injuries are the same, therefore, no two recoveries are the same. Don’t compare yours against someone else’s, as you never know what they’ve already gone through. 

Focus on YOU and your recovery. What could you try differently? What should you maybe give up? I personally gave up alcohol and gluten and that was huge for me and my inflammation. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #functionalneurology #funcneuro #neuronerd
  • I know one of the biggest lessons I had to learn from my TBI was asking for help. 

It wasn’t something I was used to, and the first few friends I asked laughed at me, which made it even harder to try again. 

But it was a beautiful lesson for me — as someone who is fiercely independent it is important to ask for help when I need it it — in allll areas of my life. 

What was your biggest lesson from TBI? 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #braininjuryawareness

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.