Traumatic Optic Neuropathy Essay

This assignment will present a reflective analysis of the examination, diagnosis, treatment and referral plan based on a simulated patient presenting with a minor injury. Potential diagnoses related to the mechanism of injury will discussed aligning the patient presentation with the literature to produce the most likely diagnosis. When this is established, a suggested treatment plan will be created in line with current guidance.

The purpose of this case study is to examine the specific case study of a 40 year old male who suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a fall from a roof. For future reference the term "Traumatic Brain Injury" will be abbreviated here as TBI and "Intracranial Pressure" as ICP. In this study we will explore the medical findings that are common in such an injury and how they relate to the Paramedic in the field. The specificity of this case will be broken down to define relevant terminology and findings that were present to the paramedics that responded to this call. Lastly, TBI's will be explored and discussed for their relevance in the field, contributing factors and comorbidities as they relate to paramedicine.

The first step in the diagnosis is doing laboratory studies to detect any secondary causes. These include serum chemistry levels of calcium, phosphate, vitamin D, magnesium, PTH, and CBC (complete blood count). Detecting secondary causes is important because it will change the treatment plan. Even though there might be some small fractures can’t be seen

2. Congenital sensory loss meaning we are born with it. Sensory loss can also be caused by an illness or by having an accident.

One forceful hit could make the difference between living a long health life, or dying in a short troubled one. In the violent sport of football, there are many violent collisions that can lead to head trauma. Head trauma, meaning a concussion varies from instance to instance. Some can be severe and last six weeks, in comparison some can only be mild and last one day. Research shows that a repeated series of concussions can lead to Chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE).

but not all ROP complications can be treated do you sacrifice sight for brain function?

Although high impact concussions cause the most damage to the brain’s structure, subconcussive impacts, lower impact jolts, over time can be just as destructive. The most alarming and well known effect of brain trauma is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). As neurons are damaged, tau proteins that support microtubules within the axons are denatured and dislodged. These proteins interact with each other and become tangled and clumped together. As clumps of tau protein build up inside neurons, communication is disrupted and they no longer function. The initial clumps of tau protein act as a catalyst over time, and cause ever more clumps to form, spreading throughout the brain and killing the affected cells. If an individual has

Signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be difficult to diagnose. Many of the signs and symptoms vary from person to person or they can take up to a couple of weeks before they surface (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). The signs and symptoms can range from minor signs like blurred vision to more serious signs like loss of consciousness. The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include: Headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting (Clayton, 1995), unaware of place and time (Farrow, 2004), temporary or prolonged loss of consciousness, amnesia (memory loss), emotional instability, dilated pupils (Levy, 1993), balance problems, blurry vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggish or groggy feeling, or concentration problems (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). If an athlete has these symptoms they should get immediate medical attention. However, most of these symptoms can be signs of another health problem so they may not have a traumatic brain injury with these

1. Stevens-Johnson syndrome and related conditions such as TEN, chemical and burn injuries to the eye, ocular pemphigoid, or aniridia.

In 2002 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy was discovered by Bennet Omalu. Omalu was performing an autopsy on former NFL player Mike Webster. He discovered an odd amount of tau protein that had formed on Webster’s brain. After some research was conducted this formation was deemed the name Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. (CTE) This disease, is caused by repetitive brain trauma. This trauma then causes the tau protein to form on the brain and destroy brain tissue. The disease is deadly as it cannot be diagnosed till during the autopsy. The only way to know if someone has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is to guess based off their personal history with brain injuries and any possible symptoms.

It is amazing to me how people’s brains are so small compared to the whole body, yet it is an exceedingly complex organ that deals with so many mental and physical functions that help regulate our body. The brain is one of our main sources of operation, and so when a person’s brain is harmed or damaged in any way, there can be major consequences for that individual. One detrimental brain injury that has recently been heavily researched and talked is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a progressive degenerative disease in the brain (Comer, 2014). More light has been showed on CTE in order to raise more awareness and seek solutions in helping prevent and fix the disease. In the following paragraphs, I will explain more in detail about CTE, specifically the causes, symptoms and outcomes, and the importance of being aware of CTE.

Traumatic brain injury affects people from all walks of life. Form military personal to the elderly that get injured when they fall or even athletes in relation to the injuries they acquire. Traumatic brain injury progressively leads to complex pathophysiological events that may lead neurodegenerative complications. For those that have experienced traumatic brain damage are more susceptible for the development of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, epilepsy, posttraumatic stress disorder, and neuropsychiatric disorder. The progression of these diseases can occur in a span of a few weeks, months, or even decades after trauma, so it is important to look over the underlying pathophysiology that traumatic brain injury can cause after the injury

Traumatic Brain Injury is otherwise known as TBI. “Traumatic brain injury, a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue” (NINDS, 2010). There are two main types of TBI, closed head injuries such as head hitting a windshield and penetrating head injuries such as a gunshot wound. As reported by the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation,” The severity of traumatic brain injuries is often assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 15. The higher the score,

     Macular Degeneration is a problem in the part of the eye that controls your sharpest central vision. It is a group of diseases that result in a loss of detailed vision. The brain will not just leave the spot empty, so it learns to fill it in with spotty macular cell damage. People most of the time don't tell their doctors (opthalmologists) about it until it is well in advance.

Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that cause blindness by hurting the optic nerve, which is the large nerve that is responsible for vision. In glaucoma, the optic nerve damage is related to a change in the fluid pressure that circulates around the eyeball. In many cases, Glaucoma occurs when the eye's fluid pressure is high, but it can also occur when the pressure is measured as normal.