Concussion Vision Symptoms in School-Aged Children: A Teacher's Checklist

After a concussion, most school staff watch for headaches, fatigue, and behavior changes. But the visual system is often the hidden driver of return-to-learn struggles. Kids rarely say, 'I can't see the board.' They say school is hard, reading makes them dizzy, or the lights hurt their eyes.

A teacher is often the first person to notice that something is off. Here is what to watch for in the first days and weeks after a student returns to the classroom.

Reading and near-work red flags: loses place often, skips words, or uses a finger to track; complains that words blur, double, or 'swim' on the page; rubs eyes, squints, or closes one eye when reading; reads slowly or avoids silent reading time.

Copying and board-work red flags: can't find the right place on the worksheet after looking up; copies inaccurately from the board or Smart Board; says the board is blurry after looking back and forth from desk to board.

Light, movement, and environment red flags: sensitivity to fluorescent lights, screens, or sunlight through windows; nausea or dizziness in busy hallways, gym, or on the bus; headache that worsens across the school day; fatigue that spikes after visually demanding tasks.

Behavior and cognitive-load red flags: task avoidance, especially for reading or screens; irritability or emotional dysregulation after academic work; trouble filtering visual clutter on worksheets or in crowded spaces; slower processing of visual information.

Contact the school nurse, OT, or the student's medical team if symptoms persist beyond a few days, worsen with schoolwork, or the student reports double vision, severe headaches, or nausea. These are not signs of laziness or attention problems; they are signs that the visual system needs support.

What helps right away: seat the student away from windows and bright fluorescent banks; reduce visual clutter with single-column worksheets, larger fonts, and fewer items per page; give scheduled screen and reading breaks before symptoms start; allow audio books, oral testing, and extended time; use a home-school log to track when symptoms spike.

These supports do not replace medical care. They are classroom accommodations used in coordination with the provider managing the concussion. For a print-ready classroom observation checklist, download the free VML Concussion Teacher's Checklist.