COVID (Long-COVID) & Vision Problems

Half of all hospitalized patients and a third of all non-hospitalized patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 will endure long-term symptoms. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, and cognitive dysfunction. There are a variety of other symptoms which have an impact on everyday functioning, reducing overall quality of life. It appears that COVID (the SARS virus) causes a hyper-inflammatory state which is detrimental in individuals with an already compromised immune system or those dealing with chronic systemic inflammation. Both COVID and Lyme-related disease are microbes. When there is Chronic Lyme disease present in the system, the SARS virus can cause reactivation of borrelia, bartonella, or chlamydia, or mycoplasma, or Epstein-Barr virus.

Long-COVID and Vision Dysfunction

This state of hyper-inflammation can significantly impact the way you use your vision and can even disrupt your visual processing. This can be due to a disruption of the spatial visual process which then affects your focal process. Below are some common visual symptoms.

Symptoms include:

• Double vision
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness or nausea
• Attention or concentration difficulties
• Staring behavior (infrequent blinking)
• Spatial disorientation
• Losing your place when reading
• Difficulty in busy/crowded environments

Long-COVID & Balance

Balance and posture can also be affected. This occurs as a result of a disruption to the spatial visual system which works in conjunction with other senses and the neuro-motor system to provide your brain with information on how your body is oriented in space. This disruption affecting balance and posture can result in Visual Midline Shift Syndrome (VMSS).

Symptoms of VMSS include:

• Dizziness or nausea
• Spatial disorientation
• Consistently drifting to one side of hallway or room
• Bumping into objects when walking
• Poor balance or posture (leaning forward, backward or to one side when walking, standing or seated in a wheelchair)
• Back pain or muscle rigidity
• Difficulty tolerating busy/crowded environments

If you experience any of these symptoms, there are tests available to assess you for VMSS. At the Padula Institute of Vision, we combine observation of posture when sitting and walking with gait testing to evaluate and rehabilitate VMSS. If you would like to learn more about VMSS, please click here.

Neuro-Visual Processing Rehabilitation

Those with Long-COVID who have visual dysfunction can benefit from a neuro-visual evaluation. This exam is very different from a routine eye exam. Its purpose is to provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the spatial visual process and the neuro-motor system using a variety of tests. If you would like to learn more about what to expect during an exam, please click here.

Treatment of visual processing symptoms often comes in the form of yoked-prism glasses which are usually prescribed for therapeutic use and should only be used under the direction of the prescribing doctor. These prisms may also be recommend for use during physical or occupational therapy. Another therapeutic aid that can be employed is binasal occlusion. This involves placing two strips of opaque tape vertically on the part of each lens that is closest to the nose which serves to provide a vertical boundary in the visual environment and can anchor a dysfunctional vision process. We also provide Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy (NVPT) when necessary and appropriate.

For many, dysfunction of the visual process can be a primary cause of the symptoms many experience. Treatment through neuro-optometric rehabilitation becomes an interdisciplinary approach that can maximize potentials in other therapies such as physical, occupation, speech, and cognitive therapies. Collaboration is often the key to successful rehabilitation.