The occipital lobe, responsible for vision, can be injured by automobile accidents, blunt force trauma, strokes, and gunshots. Rear-end car crashes and motorcycle accidents are particularly bad, while soccer players are at risk due to head-to-head contact. Strokes cause visual hallucinations and blindness, while gunshot wounds often result in long-term damage.
A region located towards the back of the brain, the occipital lobe is primarily responsible for producing vision. Occipital lobe injury often causes cognitive problems such as hallucinations, difficulty recognizing colors, and general visual impairment. Four common types of injuries often cause damage to the occipital lobe. These include automobile accidents, blunt force trauma, strokes, and gunshots.
One of the most common reasons for occipital lobe injuries is an automobile accident. Anytime there’s a significant impact to the back of the head, there’s a risk of damage. Rear-end car crashes are particularly bad for occipital lobe injuries because the head moves rapidly back and forth. Often when you jerk backwards, the back of your head slams hard against the seat. The higher the speed at the moment of impact, the higher the damage potential.
Smashing on a motorcycle is even worse because the back of your head often bounces off the floor with significant force. If the person falls so that they hit their back first, the chances of injury increase. Even with a helmet, an injury to the occipital lobe is likely to occur.
Damage to the occipital lobe can also result from any type of blunt force trauma. Although the human skull does a relatively good job of protecting the brain, excessive trauma to the back of the brain often results in injury to the occipital lobe. Things like falls, physical attacks, and even sports injuries can create problems. Soccer players are particularly at risk due to the prevalence of head-to-head contact.
Strokes are another common cause of injury to this part of the brain. If the normal blood supply to the brain is disrupted, it can adversely affect many regions of the brain. When the occipital lobe undergoes changes in blood flow, there is a high chance of injury. In this case, individuals usually experience visual hallucinations and some people go blind.
Gunshot wounds are another cause of occipital lobe injury. If a person is lucky enough to survive a gunshot to the head, there are still a variety of brain injuries that can occur. If a bullet penetrates any area in the back of the brain, the occipital lobe is most likely damaged. Unlike other causes, treating gunshot injuries is much more difficult. In most cases, long-term damage is likely.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
