Dizziness that lasts months, or even year, after a concussion, whiplash, or brain injury may have a visual cause. At Warden Optometry, we help Markham patients recover with neuro-optometric rehabilitation.
Can a Brain Injury Really Affect Your Eyes?
Over the past few months, I’ve worked with several patients struggling with persistent dizziness. Some found our Markham clinic online. Others were referred by rehab professionals, chiropractors, or occupational therapists. Their stories differ, but the pattern is strikingly familiar:
- A young man with a recent whiplash injury
- A near-retired gentleman with a long-past car accident and borderline Ménière’s
- A woman in her 40s injured two years ago
- A man in his 30s hit by a hockey puck nearly a decade back
What they shared: years of dizziness, migraines, and a reduced quality of life.
Can you imagine living with dizziness for 10 years?
Trying to function at work, raise a family, or enjoy a grocery run without nausea or disorientation? It’s not just difficult, it’s exhausting. But the good news is, these people recovered. Not through medication. Not through surgery. But through treating the visual root of the problem.
How Vision Contributes to Dizziness
Many assume dizziness is purely vestibular, a problem with the inner ear. But vision and balance are deeply intertwined. The visual system and the vestibular system work in tandem to help us move safely through space. When one system is disrupted, the other can easily become overloaded.
This happens often after:
- Concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Whiplash or neck trauma
- Post-viral inflammation (including long COVID)
- Migraine conditions
- Motor vehicle accidents
In many of these cases, visual processing is disrupted. Even subtle binocular vision issues, such as poor eye teaming or a shift in visual midline, can confuse the brain’s sense of balance and orientation.
3 Visual Systems That Can Cause Dizziness
In post-trauma vision syndrome, at least three visual components may be involved:
- Unstable fixation: Eyes can’t hold steady → visual “jitter” → dizziness or fatigue
- Poor binocular function: Difficulty fusing images → nausea and disorientation
- Visual–vestibular mismatch: Eyes and inner ear send conflicting signals → motion sensitivity
These symptoms are often triggered by:
- Reading or screen use
- Busy environments (like grocery stores or traffic)
- Head or body movement
- Visual concentration tasks One telltale sign?
Dizziness worsens with visual tasks and improves when the eyes are closed or rested.
Vision Therapy & Neuro-Optometry Testing for Dizziness
This is where neuro-optometric assessment becomes essential. At Warden Optometry, we go beyond standard eye exams. We evaluate how the visual system functions under stress, testing eye movement, fixation, eye teaming, accommodation (focusing), and how visual information is processed by the brain.
Fixation testing, for example, checks whether your eyes can remain steady on a single point. If they can't, the result may be visual “jitter” that leads to nausea or fatigue. These aren’t vague symptoms, they’re measurable signs of dysfunction that we can treat.
We also evaluate for:
- Visual midline shift
- Motion sensitivity
- Eye teaming and convergence issues
- Ocular misalignment
- Cognitive overload during visual tasks
These issues often underlie persistent dizziness, especially in busy or dynamic environments.
How Vision Therapy in Markham Helps Treat Dizziness
At Warden Optometry in Markham, we provide neuro-optometric rehabilitation and customized vision therapy to treat dizziness caused by visual dysfunction. This includes symptoms linked to post-concussion syndrome, brain injury, long COVID, and neck trauma.
Each treatment plan is individualized, and may include:
- Prism lenses to stabilize visual input Eye teaming therapy to help both eyes work together
- Tints and filters for light and motion sensitivity
- Visual retraining to improve balance and coordination
- Progressive reintroduction to challenging environments
Results are not instantaneous, but they are real.
We’ve seen patients regain their ability to read, return to driving, and rejoin their workplace with confidence. A downtown electrician now reads complex schematics without nausea. A father no longer needs to recover in his car after a trip to the grocery store.
Post-Concussion Vision Rehab in Markham
Many patients with chronic dizziness following a concussion, car accident, or viral illness have unresolved visual problems. At , we specialize in helping patients across Warden Optometry and surrounding communities recover with post-trauma vision care.
Our clinic supports those experiencing:
- Dizziness triggered by visual tasks
- Migraines, motion sensitivity, or nausea after screens or reading
- Difficulty with focus, attention, or balance
- Ongoing post-concussion or long COVID symptoms
Dr. Yan Ling Liang, neuro-optometrist and Fellow of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, leads our eye care team. She works closely with rehab professionals across Toronto to guide patients through recovery.
Neuro-Optometric Rehab Can Change Lives
If you’re living with persistent dizziness, there’s a chance your eyes are part of the problem and the solution.
We’re located at the northwest corner of Warden and Gibson Dr., and we’re proud to serve patients across Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, and beyond. Our team delivers expert neuro-vision care in a supportive, welcoming environment.
Book an eye care appointment to get started with neuro-optometric rehabilitation at Warden Optometry in Markham.