Lyme disease and tick-borne disease is a silent worldwide epidemic that shows no discrimination against children or adults. It is challenging to diagnose because the spirochete causing the infection can cloak itself and become invisible to the body’s surveillance for foreign organisms. It can do this in a variety of ways including changing its outer coat, secreting biofilms, and hiding almost dormant in various tissues for extended periods of time.
Interestingly, many people bitten by a tick and infected do not produce the signature “bull’s eye” rash that is indicative of Lyme disease. Symptoms can also mimic the flu or a virus which can make it difficult to receive a diagnosis. Infection can cause a wide range of symptoms and characteristics ranging from severe headaches, rash, pain, gastrointestinal problems, cardio-vascular problems, and changes in personality as well as psychiatric complications.
There are many different types of tick-borne disease. Lyme disease is produced by Borrelia burgdorferi . Other tick-borne diseases are Bartonella, Babesia, Erlichia, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Powassan virus, Borrelia miyamotoi, the Ehrlichia muris-like organism, and many others. These co-infections are difficult to diagnose and frequently go untreated, contributing to an increase in morbidity and mortality from tick-borne disease.
Lyme & Vision
Visual symptoms are common with tick-borne disease; these symptoms are also associated with Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS) which you can ask about Post Trauma Vision Syndrome. The cause of these visual symptoms is a direct result of tick-borne disease disrupting visual processing in the brain. Below we have provided a list of potential symptoms, but please note that there are many more that patients at the Padula Institute of Vision report and can be rehabilitated.
Symptoms Include:
- Double vision
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Visual static or snow
- Light sensitivity
- Dizziness or nausea
- Attention or concentration difficulties
- Staring behavior (infrequent blinking)
- Spatial disorientation
- Losing your place when reading
- Difficulty in busy/crowded environments
- Not being able to find the beginning of the next line when reading
- Visual memory problems
- Pulling away from objects when they are brought close to you
- Seeing objects as moving when they are actually stationary
One test we perform during a neuro-visual examination is called a visual evoked potential (VEP). This is a brainwave study that demonstrates how you use your vision. Using VEP, the Padula Institute of Vision has published research documenting a biomarker caused by tick-borne disease. This is an indication that the balance between the two visual processes in the brain are negatively affected by the tick borne-disease.
Lyme Disease Affecting Vision & Balance
Balance and posture can also be affected in individuals with Lyme disease or tick-borne infection. 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 ask about Visual Midline Shift Syndrome.
Neuro-Visual Processing Rehabilitation
Those with Lyme disease or tick-borne infection 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.
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 bi-nasal 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lyme disease affects the brain, disrupting visual processing, eye coordination, focus, and balance. This reduces the brain’s ability to adapt. Treating Lyme with antibiotics won’t restore visual function, requiring specialized vision therapy.
Lyme disease can cause blurred vision, light sensitivity, eye pain, double vision, headaches, and eye strain. It affects visual processing
Early symptoms include a bull’s-eye rash (not always present), fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain. If untreated, it can cause arthritis, facial palsy, meningitis, neuropathy, and heart issues.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by black-legged ticks. It mimics other diseases like multiple sclerosis and concussions. It can affect the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system. It was first identified in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975.
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