After what seemed like a minor car accident, former University of Alabama at Birmingham softball coach and 2024 UAB Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Marla Townsend expected to move on without issue. But as days passed, lingering issues disrupted her daily life — simple tasks like driving, being in bright spaces, and caring for her family and farm animals were overwhelming. She found renewed hope and clarity through the compassionate care she received at UAB Eye Care, the clinical arm of the School of Optometry.

The accident

In April 2024, Townsend suffered a car accident in Trussville, Alabama, when sitting at a traffic light on her way home from a successful fundraising event. A car hit her vehicle from the back, damaging the rear passenger tire and the driver’s side.

Townsend did not have any visible injuries; rather, she sustained a significant blow to her body, shaking her to the core.

“At the moment, I was mad,” Townsend said. “I was sitting still, and my car was hit hard from behind. I had no idea that I could be injured. I only felt something in my back and neck, but I refused transport because I did not think I was hurt.”

On her way back from the accident, Townsend felt a pop in her ear like “the air pressure you feel in the plane, but magnified,” she described. Later that evening, she had a minor headache but shunned it. It was not until the middle of the night when she woke up nauseated that she realized she had suffered a concussion.

“As I was an athlete and a softball coach, this was not my first time getting a concussion. None of them ever lasted more than a couple of days,” Townsend said.

It took Townsend a few days with severe pressure on her left side to realize that this concussion was different. The headache and ear pressure kept worsening, which led her to go to her primary care physician and later to an ENT physician.

“Even after weeks, I had no idea what was going on, why it was happening and how serious the condition was,” Townsend said. “It was hard to go into schools, be in a busy grocery store, follow my train of thought and swiftly turn without feeling dizzy.”

Care at UAB

Townsend at the UAB Eye Care VOR Lab with Mark Swanson, O.D.When Townsend’s symptoms such as ear ringing, dizziness with head movements, light sensitivity and headaches persisted, she turned to her optometrist of over a decade, Kathy Weise, O.D., for care.

“I knew Dr. Weise through BlazerVision, a partnership between UAB Athletics and UAB Eye Care that provides comprehensive eye care to our athletes,” Townsend said. “I knew she had an extensive background in diagnosing and managing vision problems related to concussions and would be able to help.”

Temporarily, Weise updated Townsend’s glasses prescription and prescribed light-blocking contact lenses, which improved her bearing of light and provided a calming effect. To find an enduring fix, Weise referred Townsend to the Vestibular and Oculomotor Research Lab at UAB Eye Care.

Managed by Mark Swanson, O.D., professor at the School of Optometry, the lab features an advanced, research-grade rotating chair and a high-tech eye-tracking system. This cutting-edge equipment, one of the few in the Southeast and the first in Alabama, comprehensively tests vestibular, oculomotor and balance functions.

“Our testing using the VOR chair revealed poor eye tracking when Coach Townsend was looking up and down and an abnormal vestibular ocular reflex,” Swanson said. “However, addressing these issues within the first year gave us a better chance of success.”

According to Townsend, Swanson’s care made her feel validated.

“Dr. Swanson helped me understand the VOR Lab and how the testing would be completed,” Townsend said. “I truly felt like someone finally understood what was going on in my head.”

Townsend continues to improve, thanks to her care team. Swanson is hopeful that vision therapy and vestibular therapy will retrain Townsend’s brain to perform simple tasks more effectively.

A message for others

Townsend advises everyone who gets into an accident –– even the ones that seem minor –– to get thoroughly checked so their problems can be detected early on and appropriate interventions can be deployed in a timely manner.

“If you saw my accident, you would not think it would cause these issues; but when I looked deeper, I realized that it was a considerable force that my head took without my knowing it,” Townsend said. “Now, whenever I see a simple automobile accident, I get emotional and my first thought is ‘You need to get checked!’”