Incidence of neurological vision impairment in patients who suffer from an acquired brain injury

Between 30% and 35% of the population diagnosed with acquired brain injury (ABI) suffer from associated neurological vision impairment (NVI). Each year 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting in more than 4000 individuals on a daily basis (BIAUSA). The maximum incidence peaks in the 15-24 age range at 133 per 100,000 and 165 per 100,000 in the over 65 age group. Recent reports also indicate 60-67% of injured U.S. soldiers sent from Iraq to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. In 1996-1997 27,437 Australians were hospitalized with traumatic brain injury and in the same year there were over 51,517 hospital cases with a diagnosis of stroke. An additional 15,163 were hospitalized with other non-traumatic acquired brain injury. Stroke is the major cause of acquired brain injury in older people according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW). Every year over 100,000 people in England and Wales have first strokes, only about 10,000 are under the age of 55 years. Stroke is the largest single cause of severe disability with over 300,000 people affected at any one time.