Dizziness Due to Visual Stimuli in Patients With Concussion and Other Causes of Dizziness: Examination of Balance Behaviour

This research project aims to measure how balance is affected by special visual stimulation. Dizziness caused by complex moving visual patterns, known as optokinetic stimulation, is usually called visually induced dizziness (VID).

The study includes patients with persistent symptoms after a concussion and those with non-traumatic dizziness. Healthy participants serve as a control group for the comparison of balance and symptom responses.

The optokinetic stimulation is done using either a physical rotating disk or a virtual reality (VR) headset. The visual effects are created by bright moving dots. During the stimulation, these patterns move in a specific manner and directions while the subject's balance is recorded. Symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and nausea are also documented.

The goal of this project is to improve objective diagnosis of VID. By comparing patients and healthy subjects, the study aim to assess the severity of the disorder. It is also assumed that using different visual stimuli during the balance assessment will offer more sensitive and accurate results.

In the long term, this innovative assessment method shall support clinicians to establish the diagnosis of VID, and improve the treatment and management of patients with VID.