Many Americans visit chiropractors to address pain, often without informing their physicians.
And they might not consider eye complications that could result, says Yannis Paulus, M.D., a retina specialist at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.
The energetic thrusts and rotations sometimes performed in high-velocity neck manipulation have been shown to create stress on the eye. Resulting damage to blood vessels in the retina may also cause abnormal bleeding inside the eye and vision loss.
This was the case for a 59-year-old woman who experienced a “tadpole” shaped spot in her vision while driving home from a chiropractor visit — with her sight worsening the next day. She had just received cervical spine manipulation using the high-velocity technique to help with her headaches.
Read more at Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan