Symptomatic binocular vision disorders are common following adolescent sports-related concussions—and their presence may complicate neurocognitive assessments of these individuals. A recent study, presented yesterday at the Academy 2018 meeting in San Antonio, found that the combination is associated with significantly reduced scores in Attention and Working Memory on the CogState Brief Battery Test, a computerized neurocognitive test commonly used in the assessment of sports-related concussion.

Researchers conducted the battery, which consists of four modules assessing the areas of processing, attention, learning and working memory, on 53 adolescent subjects (34 concussion, 19 control). The scores for the processing and attention components were significantly lower in the concussion group compared to controls. Within the concussion group, scores for attention and working memory were significantly lower in those with binocular vision symptoms. In contrast, the presence of binocular vision symptoms did not significantly affect the scores on any component of the CogState in the control group.

The study found that 79.4% of the concussion group had a clinically significant binocular vision disorder and a mean Convergence Insufficiency Symptoms Survey score of 19.97. Researchers conclude that vision symptom assessment could play an important role in concussion evaluation for a more complete understanding of performance deficiencies.