At Neuro Visual Center of New York, we can provide innovative and effective treatment for dizziness. One of the leading causes of dizziness is a condition called vertical heterophoria, which occurs when your eye muscles become strained due to a misalignment in your eyes. In today’s post, we discuss four different types of dizziness, and explain how vertical heterophoria treatment can cure your dizziness and improve your quality of life.
Types of Dizziness
There are four primary types of dizziness:
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Vertigo: This type of dizziness usually signals a vestibular (inner ear) problem. Patients feel like the world is spinning around. Vertigo can be very debilitating and acute attacks of vertigo can lead to other types of dizziness.
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Lightheadedness: This is the feeling that you’re on the verge of fainting. Many people experience lightheadedness if they stand up too soon, particularly in the middle of the night. If you experience lightheadedness on a regular basis, this can signal a problem with your heart rate or blood pressure.
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Disequilibrium: Disequilibrium is a feeling of instability while walking. Patients who experience this sensation feel unsteady on their feet or feel like they’re at risk of falling. Many patients describe the feeling as rocking on a boat or feeling drunk. Often this type of dizziness is caused by a Binocular Vision Dysfunction, such as Vertical Heterophoria.
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Anxiety: Though anxiety is more commonly associated with mental health, many patients who complain of dizziness report a feeling of anxiety. This is especially common among patients who feel uncomfortable in large, open spaces. This feeling of being unsteady can cause extreme anxiety.
While some patients experience all four types of dizziness, others may only experience one or two. All four types of dizziness can be caused or many worse by Vertical Heterophoria.
How Vertical Heterophoria Causes Dizziness
In order to see clearly, your eyes have to be perfectly aligned so they can transmit one clear image to your brain (rather than two separate images). Head injuries or genetic factors, however, can create a misalignment in your eyes. When this happens, your extraocular muscles, which control the movement of your eyes, have to work harder than usual to correct the misalignment. Eventually, these little muscles will become strained and fatigued, resulting in vertical heterophoria symptoms.
Common symptoms of vertical heterophoria include headaches, dizziness, trouble focusing, nausea and more. If you have vertical heterophoria, you may find that your dizziness tends to be triggered when you’re in a moving vehicle or when you’re in large, open, crowded spaces.
Treatment
At Neuro Visual Center of New York, we can perform an extensive, highly specialized exam with our state-of-the-art equipment to test for the tiny misalignments in your eyes that are indicative of vertical heterophoria. Once we arrive at a diagnosis, we can treat your condition with our custom aligning lenses. We have had patients seeking vertigo treatment for years to no avail, that saw all their symptoms alleviated once they tried our aligning glasses or contacts.
To learn more about dizziness and vertical heterophoria, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Neuro Visual Center of New York today at (516) 224-4888.
