Concussions are tricky. Unlike a laceration, fracture or sprain, these mild forms of traumatic brain injuries are more like invisible brain “deficits” that don’t normally show up on CT scans or MRIs. But just because you don’t have visible signs of an injury doesn’t mean you don’t have a concussion.
One of our latest newcomers in concussion detection tools is EyeGuide Focus. It’s a simple, 10-second software test that can easily be used at patient visits. EyeGuide Focus replaces the less objective “follow my finger” traditional tracking test. The test allows us to capture, chart and analyze 1,200 data points on eye movements in only 10 seconds.
Your Eyes are the Window… to Your Concussion
Checking eye movement is a good measurement of attention impairment. By simply and quickly testing the individual’s eyes we see if the patient can steadily focus on a moving object. The inability to do so can indicate possible neurological damage.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, “although the visual system involves about half of the brain’s circuits – many of which are vulnerable to head injury – vision has long been sidelined in the world of concussion diagnosis and treatment. That is beginning to change.”
Breakthroughs in Brain Health Monitoring
Multiple tools and techniques help us measure reaction time, memory and processing speed. Tools like EyeGuide Focus can’t be beat in terms of speed and make a great tool for sports teams since it’s small and portable (see below).
In introducing tools like EyeGuide Focus, our goal is to help equip our urgent care doctors with tools to make quicker diagnoses in order to start brain rest protocol faster. If possible, we follow up the next day with ImPACT® testing to determine the severity of the concussion on cognitive function. If a patient isn’t getting better after several weeks, we have other tools to utilize such as RightEye® which is even more comprehensive.
Bottom Line: The MAC Alliance is continually adding new state-of-the-art clinical tools to our “concussion cart” arsenal to help our providers more efficiently diagnosis and monitor concussions. Think you may have suffered a concussion? Contact one of our MAC Alliance concussion specialists to make sure you are doing all you can to rehab your injury properly.
For Sports: EyeGuide is A Better Baseline and Post-Injury Test on the Fly
Because a school or sports league can purchase one Eye-Guide device for under $3,000 and it can be used an unlimited number of times to baseline athletes and test them post-injury, it makes this program and technology:
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More cost-efficient – you do not have to pay per test.
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More portable – can be set up in any space available in gym, school, trainer’s office, nurse’s office, sports center, etc.
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Speed – More practical in the field because the 10-second EyeGuide test allows quick screening for large groups of athletes in short periods of time, without needing to schedule a large computer room with multiple terminals and stations.
