Brain Injury Awareness Month held each March raises awareness about the impact a brain injury has on a person. As advocates in the brain injury community, we can also use this time to share medical advancements in brain injury treatment and diagnostics. By spreading awareness, we can support better patient outcomes after brain injuries.
Why Does Brain Injury Awareness Month Matter?
- 1 out of 60 people live with a permanent brain injury-related disability.
- There are about 176 traumatic brain injury-related deaths every day.
Brain injuries have long-lasting, permanent effects on the injured person, their family, and the community. Additionally, more than 5.3 million Americans live with brain injury-related disabilities at a cost exceeding $76.5 billion each year.
What if we could assess the severity of a brain injury more precisely than ever before?
Advanced Brain Injury Diagnostics for Brain Injury Patients
Research shows that patients can develop abnormal or impaired eye movements after a brain injury like a concussion. At Watermark Medical Partners, we’ve adopted a revolutionary tool called the EyeBOX. It conducts post-head injury evaluation by tracking a patient’s eye movements.
The EyeBOX is unique in that it detects subtle eye movement changes in patients who sustained a head injury. These eye movement changes are a window into brain function . They would go unnoticed if not for this test.
The EyeBOX doesn’t require a baseline test and it’s the only baseline-free test with FDA clearance to diagnose mild traumatic brain injury within seven days of injury. The patient doesn’t need to receive the 4-minute test right away, there’s a 7-day window.
The EyeBOX generates an instant diagnostic report for your records. Would your patients benefit from a 4-minute, non-invasive brain injury and concussion assessment? Contact us today to start the conversation.
Brain Injury Awareness Month Facts
What Are the Leading Causes of Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury?
- Slip and Fall – Falls are the most common cause of TBIs and occur most frequently among the youngest and oldest age groups.
- Blunt Trauma Accidents – Accidents where something strikes the head or the patient runs into an object, particularly in sports.
- Vehicle-Related Injuries – Pedestrian accidents and accidents involving motor vehicles and bicycles.
- Assault – Abuse-related TBIs are head injuries resulting from domestic violence, shaken baby syndrome, or gunshot wounds to the head.
- Explosions – Blast trauma is common with service members in military conflicts.
What Are the Side Effects of a Brain Injury?
Depending on the severity of the brain injury, individuals may experience physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments. Subsequently, the side effects can make it challenging to perform daily tasks and enjoy the activities they once loved. Brain injuries can impact a person’s cognitive and behavioral functions. This can lead to problems remembering, concentrating, or making decisions, frustration, irritability, mood changes or swings, agitation, combativeness, or other unusual behavior. Practitioners use antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to treat some of these TBI symptoms.
Each day, healthcare professionals, caregivers, advocacy groups, and medical groups work to improve the lives of individuals who have suffered a brain injury. By highlighting their efforts, we can inform the community about the best way to avoid or treat a brain injury.
Watermark partners with Oculogica to improve the process of diagnosing brain injuries and concussions. With a simple 4-minute test called the EyeBOX, we can measure abnormalities in a person’s eye movements after a head injury. The diagnostic report it provides scores eye movements from 1 to 20 based on how consistent they are with concussion symptoms.
Contact Us Today To Discuss Using the EyeBOX to Diagnose Brain Injury.
Click Here to Learn More About the EyeBOX and Concussion Diagnostics.
By educating the public about the risks and highlighting how we can support individuals with brain injuries, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of people. There are many ways to get involved and make a difference this March. Learn more about Brain Injury Awareness Month from the Brain Injury Association of America.