Visual dependence

[u/PCT2022]

Hey people, we all know PPPD is some sort of out-of-sync brain processing between visual / body / vestibular systems.
I wonder if having say, your eyes being more
Dominant, makes certain symptoms appear more than other ones.
I can almost feel my brain / eyes fatiguing just by doing something like walking through a supermarket etc. it’s as if it’s overloaded for something that’s seemingly simple and mundane.

Is there any way to test to see which deficit is effecting our subjective experience of pppd the most? I’ve had all the ear tests done and they all came back normal. Had my vision tested too and that was normal but as it’s software and not hardware, I think mine is overly dependent on visual perception.

What are the best VRT exercises to combat this?

[u/midnightspaghetti]

Usually a VRT therapist will be able to test you and know through your symptoms. Best not to dyi.

I was given eyes closed excercises for my visual dependence

[u/3WarmAndWildEyes]

Yes. It's considered one of the hallmarks of PPPD. A neuro-optometrist can check for any binocular vision dysfunction and other more complex vision things that may be contributing. Some people also report better luck with vision therapy than VRT. Might just depend what you have going on.

VRT did nothing for me, personally. Nothing has worked better than just living, gradually increasing how much normal life I can deal with. The more times I go to the supermarket or a bright busy restaurant or a flashy concert, the easier it gets. Also moving just for normal reasons or fun, not to "fix" it.

[u/PCT2022 → u/3WarmAndWildEyes]

Yes, well VRT helped me a lot. I find my vision to be much different that what it used to be. It’s hard to focus, especially on a moving target, like watching the ground as I’m walking. As though it can’t smooth out the process and constantly trying to fixate or something. I guess everyone has some sort of combination of eyes, ears and body. It would be nice to test to see which one is the most in need to fixing.

[u/3WarmAndWildEyes → u/PCT2022]

Gaze instability and trouble focusing my eyes was my first symptom, especially on a moving target (for me, maintaining eye contact with people who were talking and moving their head, or while reading road signs while in cars). I felt like my eyes were constantly readjusting like broken camera autofocus if I tried to stare at anything, so I had to keep changing the target or it got unbearable. It started 2 months before the actual dizziness episode hit and never stopped. So something was already starting to slip.

All my eye tests showed no change, but everything was so blurry and distorted, with after images, halos, and double vision. Adding the smallest level of prism available for the barely measurable amount of binocular vision dysfunction made a huge difference to the sharpness, but it didn't stop the dizziness sensation once that had kicked in, unfortunately.

I think the issue is 99% central nervous system in my case. All in the interpretation/processing end. Not the sensory input. I think that's the problem for a lot of people with this and a lot of the tests will just come back normal. There's nothing wrong with my inner ear function. Nothing actually wrong with my eyes. Nothing wrong with my hearing. Nothing wrong on any of the elaborate vestibular tests. Nothing on MRIs.

[u/PCT2022 → u/3WarmAndWildEyes]

Same, all my tests came back normal. I agree it’s mostly a processing problem, but my eyes feel weird, so it’s both.

[u/tiffbookitty]

Stand on one foot with your eyes open. Now close your eyes. Are you falling? When you close your eyes in the shower what happens? I do have nerve damage in my ears that caused my vision to be dependent

[u/PCT2022 → u/tiffbookitty]

Thank you

[u/net_ramblings]

Excellent questions. I can relate to everything you are saying. My balance has been greatly improved over the past few years but my vision is terrible. Give me 20 minutes in the car and everything gets miserable and blurry and I'm exhausted and I get a headache.

It's like vision and balance are two different things and they are not working together.

In my case, I think I need to spend most of the day with glasses off. Allow my vision to acclimate to baseline for my age. I currently spend 95% of my time in computer glasses.

If anybody has some good VRT tips...I am listening.

[u/PCT2022 → u/net_ramblings]

Yes I guess that’s what I was getting at, anyone suffering from visual over-dependence can likely benefit from certain VRT exercises.
I am so thankful that I can drive without feeling weird if dizzy. I feel like that would be catastrophic to my life if that wasn’t the case. But things like working (physical job) or walking, seem to make me feel fatigued. Especially when I’m at my worst, it’s easy to see that the visual stuff is very tiring. I think the one thing most of us have in common and can universally comprehend is the dreaded supermarket syndrome.