Medications prescribed to brain injury patients: a retrospective analysis.
BACKGROUND
The purposes of this study were to retrospectively evaluate the frequency of medications used by individuals with either traumatic brain injury (TBI) or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and to consider the possible relationship between vision symptoms and diagnoses in this sample and the established visual and ocular side effects of the prescribed medications.


METHODS
Charts of patients examined in the Raymond J. Greenwald Rehabilitation Center at the SUNY State College of Optometry from the years 2000 to 2003 were reviewed. Only TBI (n=160) or CVA (n=60) patients were included. Prescribed medications from 12 possible categories were identified. Patients experiencing blurred vision, diplopia, asthenopia, poor depth perception, and/or light sensitivity were identified. Patients with accommodative dysfunction, vergence dysfunction, versional dysfunction, dry eyes, and/or ptosis were also identified.


RESULTS
The 4 most common medication categories taken by TBI patients were anti-anxiety/antidepressants (42.5%), anticonvulsants (26.9%), opiate/combination analgesics (23.8%), and cardiac/antihypertensives (23.1%). For the CVA patients, the medications were cardiac/antihypertensives (66.7%), anti-anxiety/antidepressants (31.7%), vitamins/mineral supplements (26.7%), and anticonvulsants (23.3%). Frequency of vision symptoms and diagnoses in the TBI and CVA patients appeared not to be related to medication use in most cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants were the overlapping medication categories between the TBI and CVA groups. Medication intake did not affect the frequency of the reported vision symptoms and diagnoses in most cases, suggesting the symptoms and diagnoses were primarily related to either the TBI or CVA itself.
Han
M H Esther
MH
State University of New York State College of Optometry, New York, New York 10036, USA. mhan@synuopt.edu
Craig
Shoshana B
SB
Rutner
Daniella
D
Kapoor
Neera
N
Ciuffreda
Kenneth J
KJ
Suchoff
Irwin B
IB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000928:Antidepressive Agents