Vertigo
Impaired Vision and Maintaining Balance
Maintaining balance is a complex process controlled by three systems in the body:
- The vestibular system, primarily located in the inner ear, provides the brain with information about head position, spatial orientation, and motion.
- The visual system sends input from your eyes to your brain and is the dominant system for maintaining balance and preventing dizziness.
- Proprioceptors in the legs and feet offer the body a stable platform and information on movement and motion.
How Can Impaired Vision Cause Vertigo and Balance Disorders? If you’ve experienced sea or motion sickness, you’ve likely been advised to close your eyes to alleviate nausea and dizziness. This works by removing the visual system’s impact. Any disruption in the eye-brain connection or visual system can result in vertigo and balance problems.
Vertigo and Vision
When the eyes and inner ear send conflicting signals, a sensory mismatch occurs, leading to vertigo. This can stem from inner-ear (vestibular) conditions, vision conditions, or a combination of both. For individuals with vestibular conditions like BPPV, Meniere’s, or vestibular neuritis, their visual system must compensate. Issues with depth perception or binocular vision (how the eyes work together) may become more apparent as the brain relies more on vision. Our proven 3-step approach has helped thousands of patients.
- Identify problematic areas: Determine any issues with binocular vision or depth perception contributing to symptoms or hindering recovery.
- Specialized lenses: Prescribe lenses to improve depth perception, balance, and reduce vertigo.
- Vision therapy: Recalibrate how the vision and vestibular systems work together through targeted vision therapy.
Understanding the Link Between Vertigo and Vision
People with vertigo often feel as though they’re moving even when stationary, and they may struggle to walk straight, especially after standing up from a sitting or reclining position. Vision problems can significantly impact balance, as the eye muscles work harder to compensate for decreased visual clarity, leading to eyestrain, headaches, and balance issues. Problems with depth and spatial perception can also affect equilibrium. Many vision problems cause similar symptoms to vestibular issues, and after a vestibular problem, a person may become more sensitive to any existing binocular vision dysfunction. This heightened reliance on vision can exacerbate balance problems.
Addressing Vertigo Through Vision Care
Vertigo and balance issues often occur together, and when a visual problem is the underlying cause, specialized vision therapy can provide effective relief.
When Should You Seek Treatment?
It’s crucial to seek evaluation from an eye care professional as soon as possible as early intervention increases the chances of successful treatment. However, if you have been experiencing symptoms that started months or even years ago, we can still assess your condition and create a personalized treatment plan to help you regain your balance and alleviate vertigo.
Comprehensive Treatment for Vertigo
Effective Management of Vertigo and Balance Issues While many patients experience temporary symptoms, it’s crucial to discuss potential vertigo and balance problems with your optometrist when considering lens options.
Dual-Faceted Treatment Approach Vertigo and balance issues resulting from visual problems can be significantly alleviated through our comprehensive treatment plan.
Early Evaluation and Intervention Whether you’ve recently suffered a brain injury or have ongoing symptoms from past trauma, prompt evaluation by an eye care professional is essential. Early intervention increases the chances of recovery, but even long-standing conditions can be effectively treated with our customized strategies.
What Is Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Therapy?
Experiencing vertigo and balance issues related to vision can be unsettling. If you’re struggling with these symptoms, seeking professional advice is crucial. At Opto-Mization Optometry & Vision Therapy, our team is ready to help identify and treat the visual causes of your vertigo and balance problems, ensuring optimal visual health and comfort.
Our customized treatment plan utilizes various techniques and exercises aimed at enhancing visual perception and processing, strengthening the crucial connection between the eye and the brain. To support this, we integrate the use of specialized glasses and lenses tailored to improve depth perception and spatial awareness, addressing how the visual and vestibular systems interact.
Our approach to vision care encompasses neuro-optometric rehabilitation and vision therapy, often used interchangeably, to develop, refine, or restore visual skills.
Following diagnosis, a customized treatment plan is crafted, which may include specialized lenses like neuro-lens to enhance visual function and vestibular therapy to address balance. Vestibular therapy, a specialized form of visual therapy, recalibrates balance and alleviates dizziness. This type of therapy focuses on restoring correct balance to provide relief from vertigo symptoms.
How We Can Help with Vertigo
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of vertigo, dizziness, or feeling off-balance, contact us for a consultation. Even if you’ve been told that your symptoms are stress-related, seasonal, or will fade on their own, a functional visual evaluation can help determine if vision is the root cause or a contributing factor.
It’s crucial to note that not every optometrist is trained in this focus. Only a neuro-optometrist should assess and treat vertigo and balance issues with neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy.
At Opto-Mization, we have the expertise and latest technology to provide you with top-level care and effective treatment solutions for your vertigo and related symptoms.
How Long Does Treatment Take for Vertigo?
No two patients are alike — each individual experiences vertigo and balance issues uniquely. Some patients may require just a few weeks of treatment, while others may need a more long-term approach. The good news is that the improvements achieved through neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy are generally long-lasting, providing significant relief from dizziness and balance problems.