title: Visual symptomatology and referral patterns for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: Advances in protective armor technology and changes in the "patterns of war" have created a population of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) that provide a unique challenge to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare practitioners. The purpose of the study was to determine the frequency of symptomatic ocular and visual sequelae of TBI in OIF/OEF veterans at the Portland VA Medical Center, a Polytrauma Support Clinic Team site. A retrospective analysis of 100 OIF/OEF veterans with TBI was conducted to determine the prevalence of ocular and visual complaints. Referral patterns were also investigated. Visual symptoms were reported in approximately 50% of veterans with TBI. Loss of consciousness, but not number of deployments or number of blast exposures, was found to have a statistically significant association with severity of reported visual symptoms. The most commonly reported symptoms included blurred vision (67%), photosensitivity (50%), and accommodative problems (40%). Visual symptoms of OIF/OEF veterans at the Portland VA Medical Center are reported at slightly lower rates than similar studies conducted at the Palo Alto and Edward Hines Jr VA facilities.
authors: Portland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, OR, USA. ryan.bulson@pacificu.edu
authors: Ryan
authors: R
authors: Bulson
authors: Weon
authors: W
authors: Jun
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Hayes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields; D055815:Young Adult