Treatment of Visual Vertigo
Conditions
Brief summary
This study investigates the use of virtual environments presented on a head mounted display for the rehabilitation of those suffering with visual vertigo. The control group and treatment groups will be presented with two different sets of environments and be given the same head and eye exercises to complete within the environment. They will also be provided with at home exercises to complete.
Detailed description
Visual vertigo occurs after the balance system suffers damage (e.g after a viral infection such as labyrinthitis). This causes an over-reliance on the eyes to maintain balance which causes disorientation in busy environments such as the supermarket. The treatment involves trying to desensitise the individual to visually stimulating situations. Further head and eye exercises are completed alongside the exposure to overcome the damage done to the balance system.
Interventions
OTHERVirtual environment with fast moving objects
A beach/park environment with graded moving objects, the individual will complete head and eye exercises.
OTHERVirtual environment with no movement
A beach/park environment with static objects, the individual will complete head and eye exercises.
Sponsors
University of Manchester
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Those who have been diagnosed with visual vertigo and have scored a significant level on the Situational Characteristic Questionnaire (over 0.74 as per Pavlou et al., 2006).
Exclusion criteria
* Those with or under investigation for epilepsy. * Those who have been determined to have no or limited balance function in both ears. * Those with reduced visual acuity that will leave them unable to view the 3D effects of the head mounted display. * Those with severe mental health disorders e.g. psychosis, paranoid disorders, bipolar disorder or a history of substance abuse. * Severe neck pain/ restricted movement. * Previous treatment for visual vertigo. * Those with an fluctuating vestibular disorder such as Ménière's disease or vestibular migraine. * Those with untreated Benign Paroxymal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). * Those with a significant brain injury, or head injury that results in a central vestibular disorder. * Those with an arrhythmia.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in scoring on the Situational Characteristic Questionnaire | Week 1 and Week 6 | A measure of visual vertigo symptom level |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in scoring on the PHQ-9 Questionnaire from week one to six | Week 1 and Week 6 | A measure of depression symptom level |
| Change in scoring on the GAD-7 Questionnaire from week one to six | Week 1 and Week 6 | A measure of anxiety symptom level |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective questionnaire | Week 6 | A likert scale based questionnaire assessing acceptability of treatment |
| Change in head tracking observed at each weekly session for six weeks through numerical data extracted from the headset to show displacement of the head in the x, y and z planes of movement. | Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 | Analysis of the head movement within each environment each week to see if there is any improvement |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactKirsty M Walker, BSc
Backup ContactPaul Bacon, PhD
Outcome results
None listed