Imagine trying to navigate a grocery store when, all of a sudden, a dizzy spell hits. The room starts to spin and you lose your balance. You struggle to stand up straight, your vision becomes blurred and orienting yourself in your surroundings becomes insurmountable. To those with vertigo and balance problems, performing simple daily tasks — such as grocery shopping — can feel defeating.
Maintaining proper balance is complex and relies on the collective, healthy functioning of three separate systems: the inner ear, muscle-joint feedback, and vision. Ongoing research suggests that there may be a relationship between a heightened risk of falling and poor vision.
If you experience frequent dizzy spells and difficulty maintaining your balance, make an appointment with [tokensname='SpDoctorVT'] to rule out any visual dysfunction that could be at the root of the problem.
How Does Vision Affect Balance and Dizziness?
A good sense of balance depends on your ability to see where you are in relation to your surroundings as well as where certain key body parts are in relation to the rest of the body. This information is received by receptors in the muscles and joints but also implicates vision.
The most important visual skill needed to maintain balance is binocular vision, which is the eyes’ ability to work together in creating a clear and unified view of the world around you. The visual system helps regulate the other systems involved in maintaining balance, this means that any defect in the visual system can lead to frequent falls and a balance disorder.
Visual dysfunctions that cause blurred or double vision are common in balance disorders, but can also be its root cause. By improving your vision functionality, you could significantly improve balance and diminish the frequency of dizzy spells.
We Treat Visual Dysfunctions To Improve Balance and Reduce Dizziness
To get to the root of the condition and to assess its connection with vision, Dr. Brennan Nelson will evaluate a wide range of visual skills, such as oculomotor skills, eye teaming and tracking, focusing, visual processing, and how well the brain interprets visual information.
If a visual dysfunction is detected, a fully customized neuro-optometric rehabilitation program will be provided to treat the visual components contributing to the balance disorder. With the patient’s participation and diligence, the visual skills and abilities can be improved over time.
What Is Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Therapy?
Neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy, a form of vision therapy, enables those suffering from visual problems to retrain the brain and eyes to regain functionality and quality of life. This therapy uses a variety of methods and techniques to train both eyes to work as a team. It is made up of individualized exercises, which, when done over a period of time rehabilitate visual, perceptual and motor disorders, thus helping the patient regain balance. This effectively reduces or resolves symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, and lack of balance.
The neuro-optometric rehabilitation program offered at Village Eye Centre can help detect and treat the underlying vision problem causing your dizziness and balance issues.
If you’ve tried other types of therapies and still experience dizziness and balance problems, it’s time to see what Dr. Brennan Nelson can do for you. Start your journey to recovery by calling Village Eye Centre and schedule your appointment today.
Village Eye Centre serves patients from Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Fort Saskatchewan, and throughout Alberta.