Even though Karl Rove is one of the lowest life forms on earth, like a stopped clock he is occasionally correct despite his best efforts to lie. I want to list the facts we know about Secretary of State Clinton's concussion and whether it is an appropriate area of concern. First, the undisputed facts:
In December of 2012, Hillary Clinton fainted, fell and suffered a concussion from the fall.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered a concussion early last week after fainting and striking her head, the State Department disclosed on Saturday.
She experienced double vision as a result of her concussion.
UPI: While appearing before Congress Wednesday, the outgoing secretary of state replaced her usual contacts with a special pair of glasses used to correct double vision, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
Clinton spent nearly six hours testifying before Congress on the September 11, 2012 attacks that killed four Americans, after a month of health problems -- including a concussion brought on by a fainting spell -- that kept her out of the spotlight and landed her in the hospital.
Spokesman Philippe Reines said that Clinton would "be wearing these glasses instead of her contacts for a period of time because of lingering issues stemming from her concussion."
Concussion is one form of mild traumatic brain injury.
Wikipedia: Grading scales also exist to classify the severity of mild TBI, commonly called concussion; these use duration of LOC, PTA, and other concussion symptoms.[16]
Double vision is one of the common visual signs of head injury after concussion.
CFN Shifting our focus back to the eyes (pun intended); most individuals that have suffered a concussion will complain of some type of symptom related to eye function (e.g. blurry vision, light sensitivity-photophobia, eye fatigue, double vision-diplopia, reading difficulties, etc.). I cannot honestly recall a single case of concussion presenting to my office in the recent years that did not have some type of visual or oculomotor (eye movement) consequence.
Concussion is often followed by post-concussion syndrome.
Wikipedia: Post-concussion syndrome, also known as postconcussive syndrome or PCS, is a set of symptoms that may continue for weeks, months, or occasionally a year or more after a concussion – a mild form of traumatic brain injury (TBI).[1][2][3] The rates of PCS vary, but most studies report that about 15% of individuals with a history of a single mild TBI develop persistent symptoms associated with the injury.
As an older woman, Clinton was at higher risk for brain injury from her fall.
(same source:) …certain risk factors have been identified; for example, preexisting medical or psychological conditions, expectations of disability, female gender, and older age all increase the chances that someone will suffer PCS.
In recent photos, Clinton is not wearing the corrective glasses.
A Google image search on
"Hillary Clinton 2014" recovers many pictures, and in the ones I've checked she is not wearing any glasses at all. The most likely explanation is that the double vision has spontaneously resolved and she no longer needs them. There are a few other treatments for double vision, however.
The mild brain injury from concussion usually resolves in months but can last years.
Wikipedia: The prognosis for PCS is generally considered excellent, with total resolution of symptoms in the large majority of cases. For most people, post-concussion symptoms go away within a few days to several weeks after the original injury occurs.[25] In others, symptoms may remain for three to six months,[22] but evidence indicates that most cases are completely resolved within that time.[15] Symptoms are largely gone in about half of people with concussion one month after the injury, and about two thirds of people with minor head trauma are symptom-free within three months.[45] It is frequently stated in the literature and considered to be common knowledge that 10–20% of people with PCS have not recovered by a year after the injury, but this may be an overestimate because it is based on studies of people admitted to a hospital, the methodologies of which have been criticized.[28][40][50] In a small minority of people, symptoms may persist for years or be permanent; however, it has not been conclusively shown that permanent neurological symptoms ever result from an uncomplicated concussion.[41] If symptoms are not resolved by one year, they are likely to be permanent, though improvements may occur after even two or three years,[37] or may suddenly occur after a long time without much improvement.[51] Older people and those who have previously suffered another head injury are likely to take longer to recover.[51]
So, gasp, Karl Rove managed to let a true statement escape his lips: Hillary Clinton did experience a mild traumatic brain injury. Missing from his statement are all the important questions, ones to which we do not have answers. However, we should.
1. How serious was the concussion in other respects?
2. Have all the symptoms resolved?
3. Are there any signs of impaired function now, over two years later?
Anyone who wanted Mitt Romney to reveal his medical records should want the answers to these questions, too. I for one do not want another Reaganesque episode of someone elected to the presidency and then becoming a puppet for hidden controllers because of lost mental functions.
(Hat tip to htowngenie in the comments: these questions are only pertinent if she decides to run for office.)