The Short Answer Educational content only. Any suspected concussion warrants medical evaluation. Persistent sensory symptoms after concussion warrant assessment by the appropriate specialist, an audiologist or ENT for hearing and sound symptoms, a neuro-optometrist or ophthalmologist for visual and eye symptoms, and a physician or neurologist to coordinate care. Consult a concussion-experienced clinician for individualized care. Aversion to patterns and stripes happens after concussion because repetitive high-contrast patterns overstimulate a sensitized visual cortex, provoking discomfort, headache, dizziness, and visual distortion (Bansal & Green, 2022). Repetitive patterns like stripes, grids, and closely spaced lines are unusually demanding for the visual system to process, and in a healthy brain this is handled easily. After concussion, the visual cortex is in a hyperexcitable state, and the intense, repetitive stimulation of patterns overdrives it, producing what is called pattern glare, visual discomfort and symptom flare triggered by patterns. Reducing pattern exposure, using tinted lenses, and treating the underlying visual sensitivity and headache reduce the aversion as the brain recovers. Repetitive high-contrast patterns are demanding for the visual system to process. The sensitized, hyperexcitable visual cortex overreacts to them. Reducing pattern exposure and treating visual sensitivity ease it. What Pattern Aversion Is Pattern aversion, or pattern glare, is discomfort and symptom provocation triggered by looking at repetitive visual patterns. Striped shirts, venetian blinds, escalator steps, grids, checkerboards, tightly packed text, brick walls, and closely spaced lines are common triggers. Looking at them can cause eye discomfort, headache, dizziness, nausea, a sense of the pattern shimmering or moving, and an urge to look away. The effect is disproportionate to the harmlessness of the pattern, and it is a recognized feature of visual sensitivity after concussion, closely related to light sensitivity and visual overload. Why Repetitive Patterns Overstimulate the Visual Cortex Repetitive high-contrast patterns are a particularly strong stimulus for the visual cortex. Certain spatial frequencies, the spacing and repetition of stripes and lines, drive large populations of visual neurons intensely and simultaneously, generating a strong wave of cortical activity. In a healthy brain, inhibitory circuits keep this activity in check and the pattern is processed without discomfort. The demanding nature of these patterns is why even some people without brain injury find them mildly uncomfortable. After concussion, the balance of excitation and inhibition in the cortex is disturbed, and the visual cortex is hyperexcitable with reduced inhibition. The strong activity that repetitive patterns generate is no longer damped down, so it overdrives the cortex and spills into the discomfort and symptom pathways. This is the same hyperexcitability behind post-concussion light sensitivity, expressed as a specific intolerance of patterns. Why It Comes With Dizziness and Distortion Pattern aversion often brings more than eye discomfort because the overstimulated visual system interacts with balance and pain processing. Intense, repetitive visual input can provoke a sense of movement or instability, feeding dizziness, particularly when the visual and vestibular systems are already dysfunctional after concussion. The patterns can appear to shimmer, flicker, or move as the overdriven cortex struggles to process them steadily. And because visual overstimulation feeds the trigeminal pain pathway, patterns can provoke or worsen headache. This is why pattern aversion clusters with the broader visual and vestibular symptoms of concussion rather than occurring alone. Symptom Presentation Discomfort, headache, or dizziness when looking at stripes, grids, or repeating patterns A sense of the pattern shimmering, flickering, or moving Nausea and an urge to look away from patterns Triggers like striped clothing, blinds, escalators, and dense text Overlap with light sensitivity and visual overload Worsening in busy, visually cluttered environments Contribution to reading difficulty with tightly spaced lines Assessment A neuro-optometrist assesses pattern sensitivity as part of the broader post-concussion visual picture, identifying the patterns and spatial frequencies that provoke symptoms and confirming that the response reflects visual overstimulation rather than an eye disease. The assessment considers coexisting light sensitivity, focusing and eye-teaming problems, and vestibular dysfunction, which add to the response, and the underlying headache, since treating it reduces the sensitivity. Trialing tinted filters during assessment helps identify what provides relief. Treatment Approach Reducing pattern exposure gives immediate relief while tolerance is low. Avoiding the most provocative patterns where practical, reducing visual clutter, and using plain rather than patterned surfaces in the home and workspace lower the load. For reading, a colored overlay or a ruler that covers surrounding lines reduces the pattern effect of dense text. Selective tinted lenses can reduce pattern glare, since a tint that filters the wavelengths and contrast most linked to visual discomfort makes patterned environments more tolerable, used for challenging settings rather than worn constantly. Graded visual exposure prevents the tolerance-narrowing that total avoidance causes, gradually reintroducing patterned environments as tolerance grows. Treating the underlying visual sensitivity and headache reduces the hyperexcitability the aversion rides on, and addressing coexisting focusing and vestibular problems relieves the dizziness and distortion. Autonomic regulation and protected sleep raise tolerance. As the cortex settles with recovery, pattern aversion generally eases. Sensory symptoms after concussion improve faster when the nervous system is regulated and the neck and autonomic system are addressed alongside specialist care. Start your 3-day free trial to build a supportive daily routine. Supporting Mobility Routine JME 155 Diaphragmatic breathing lowers the sympathetic drive that amplifies sensory sensitivity and steadies the nervous system. Ten slow breaths, several times daily. JME 14 Chin tucks reduce upper cervical tension that feeds headache, dizziness, and sensory overload. Ten repetitions with 5-second holds. JME 1 Cervical rotation restores segmental mobility and supports blood flow through the vertebral arteries to the brain. Ten repetitions per direction. JME 15 Cervical lateral flexion addresses side-bending restriction that sustains neck tension and sensory strain. Ten repetitions per side. JME 16 Cervical flexion and extension restore sagittal mobility restricted by suboccipital guarding. Eight slow repetitions. JME 2 Cervical retraction reinforces a neutral head position that reduces the postural strain feeding sensory symptoms. Ten repetitions per set. JME 150 Thoracic rotation restores mid-back motion needed for full diaphragmatic breathing and relaxed upright posture. Eight repetitions per direction. JME 227 Overhead reach opens the thoracic spine and rib cage, supporting the deep breathing that calms an overloaded nervous system. Ten repetitions with controlled tempo. Start your 3-day free trial for joint-specific mobility programming that supports the nervous system regulation behind sensory recovery after concussion. Common Mistakes Dismissing pattern discomfort as trivial rather than a sign of visual hyperexcitability Avoiding all patterned environments instead of using graded exposure Overlooking coexisting light sensitivity, focusing, and vestibular problems Treating pattern aversion without addressing the underlying headache Using general dark glasses instead of a selective tint Progression Assessment identifies the provocative patterns and coexisting visual and vestibular problems. Treatment reduces pattern exposure, uses selective tinted lenses and reading aids, and applies graded visual exposure, while treating the underlying visual sensitivity, headache, and vestibular dysfunction. Autonomic regulation and sleep support raise tolerance. Pattern aversion generally eases as the visual cortex settles over weeks to months. Why do stripes and patterns bother me after a concussion? Repetitive high-contrast patterns strongly stimulate the visual cortex, and after concussion the cortex is hyperexcitable with reduced inhibition, so this intense activity is no longer damped down and overdrives the system. The result is pattern glare, discomfort, headache, and dizziness provoked by stripes, grids, and repeating shapes. What is pattern glare? Pattern glare is visual discomfort and symptom provocation triggered by looking at repetitive patterns such as stripes and grids. It causes eye discomfort, headache, dizziness, and a sense of the pattern shimmering or moving. After concussion it reflects a hyperexcitable visual cortex overreacting to demanding repetitive visual input. Why do patterns make me dizzy after a concussion? Intense repetitive visual input can provoke a sense of movement or instability, feeding dizziness, especially when the visual and vestibular systems are already dysfunctional after concussion. The overdriven cortex also struggles to process the pattern steadily, so it can appear to shimmer or move, adding to the disorientation. Do tinted glasses help pattern sensitivity? A selective tint that filters the wavelengths and contrast most linked to visual discomfort can reduce pattern glare and make patterned environments more tolerable, used for challenging settings rather than worn constantly. Tinted lenses work best combined with graded visual exposure and treating the underlying visual sensitivity and headache. Will pattern aversion go away after a concussion? Generally it eases as the visual cortex settles with recovery, especially with graded visual exposure, selective tinted lenses, and treatment of the underlying visual sensitivity and headache. Avoiding all patterned environments deepens the sensitivity, so gradual reintroduction is important. Persistent pattern aversion warrants neuro-optometric assessment. Why Sensory Symptoms Happen After Concussion Sensory symptoms after concussion arise from disrupted sensory processing rather than damage to the sense organs alone. Concussion strains the connections between brain regions, alters the balance of excitation and inhibition, and leaves the nervous system in a sensitized, hyperexcitable state (Silverberg et al., 2020). In this state the brain turns up the gain on incoming signals, so ordinary light, sound, smell, taste, and touch are amplified, distorted, or perceived as threatening. Some symptoms also reflect direct injury to sensory nerves. Most sensory symptoms improve over weeks to months as the brain recovers and the gain settles, and structured management speeds the process. Graded Exposure and Avoiding Overprotection A common trap in sensory recovery is total avoidance. Completely shielding from light, sound, touch, or activity feels protective, but sustained avoidance makes the nervous system more sensitive over time, narrowing tolerance further. The better approach is graded exposure: staying within a tolerable range while gradually and deliberately increasing exposure as tolerance grows, never pushing far past the point where symptoms flare. This retrains the nervous system to accept normal sensory input. Extreme protection, such as constant dark glasses indoors or avoiding all textured clothing, tends to worsen sensitivity and is used sparingly and strategically rather than continuously. Managing Sensory Overload Reduce competing sensory input by handling one channel at a time Take planned breaks in a calm, low-stimulation environment before overload builds Use diaphragmatic breathing to lower the arousal that amplifies sensitivity Pace demanding sensory environments rather than avoiding them entirely Protect sleep, since fatigue lowers sensory tolerance Treat coexisting headache, since pain and sensory sensitivity feed each other When to Seek Specialist Assessment Persistent or worsening sensory symptoms, symptoms that interfere with work or daily life, and any symptom with concerning features warrant specialist assessment. Visual and pattern symptoms are evaluated by a neuro-optometrist or ophthalmologist. Hearing and sound symptoms are evaluated by an audiologist or ENT. Smell symptoms are evaluated by an ENT. Touch, temperature, and pain sensitivity are evaluated by a physician or neurologist, who can also coordinate care and exclude other causes. New neurological symptoms, sudden sensory loss, and rapidly worsening symptoms need prompt evaluation rather than watchful waiting. The Autonomic and Cervical Contribution Sensory symptoms rarely stand alone after concussion. Autonomic dysregulation keeps the nervous system in a heightened, sympathetic-dominant state that amplifies sensitivity, and cervical dysfunction feeds headache, dizziness, and sensory strain through shared brainstem pathways. Regulating the autonomic nervous system with diaphragmatic breathing and graded activity, and addressing the neck with mobility and manual therapy, lower the background arousal on which sensory symptoms ride. This is why calming the nervous system as a whole often eases sensory symptoms that specialist treatment alone does not fully resolve. References Bansal, S., & Green, K. (2022). Application of colored filters in patients post-traumatic brain injury: A review. NeuroRehabilitation, 50(3), 321-330. PubMed Patricios, J. S., et al. (2023). Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam, October 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(11), 695-711. PubMed Silverberg, N. D., et al. (2020). Management of concussion and mild traumatic brain injury: a synthesis of practice guidelines. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 101(2), 382-393. PubMed