Understanding Dizziness and Vision Problems: A Closer Look

Dizziness and  vertigo can be a disorienting and sometimes debilitating experience, often leaving those affected searching for answers and relief. Dizziness is not an illness in itself, but a symptom of an underlying problem. Have you been experiencing dizziness throughout your day?

One often overlooked cause of dizziness is vision problems.

Maintaining balance is a complex process managed by three interconnected systems in the body:

  1. The Vestibular System, primarily located in the inner ear, provides the brain with crucial information about head position, spatial orientation, and self-motion.
  2. The Visual System supplies the brain with input from the eyes, serving as the dominant source of cues for maintaining balance and preventing dizziness. Dr. Jesse likes to say one major job of the visual system is to answer these 4 questions: Where am I? Where is that related to me? Where are those things related to each other? And how can I interact with my environment?
  3. Proprioceptors throughout the body relay information about our body’s position and the movements of our joints.

feeling dizzy could be a vision problem!

The connection between vision and balance is intricate, with the eyes playing a crucial role in our spatial awareness and equilibrium. When there are issues with the eyes, such as focusing difficulties, binocular vision disorders, or even improper glasses prescriptions and lens types, it can lead to a range of symptoms, including dizziness and balance issues.

Vision problems that contribute to dizziness are often related to how the eyes work together and how visual information is processed by the brain. Many people think that if they can see 20/20 their vision is perfect, but there are more than a dozen visual skills that we need to have healthy, functioning vision that does all the jobs we need it to do.

The most common causes of vision-related balance problems include:

  • Binocular Vision Dysfunction (eye teaming) – where the eyes do not align properly or struggle to work as a team, can cause conflicting signals to be sent to the brain. The result of any type of misalignment, no matter how small, means that our brain has difficulty creating one clear image. This confusion can manifest as dizziness, vertigo, or a sense of imbalance. 
  • Concussion – 2/3rds of your brain is used for visual processing. A brain injury or stroke can often cause a variety of visual symptoms.
  • Hemianopsia – blindness in one half of the visual field leads to a warped perception of space and what appears to be straight-ahead.
  • Nystagmus – involuntary and repetitive eye movements that can be a sign of vestibular or neurologic issues or can cause other visual problems.
  • Spatial Disorientation – the inability of a person to determine their true body position, motion, and altitude relative to the earth or his surroundings. We use our eyes to locate ourselves in space. If our eyes aren’t functioning properly when they did previously, that can lead to disorientation. This can be caused by neurological events like traumatic brain injury (TBI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), multiple sclerosis (MS), or whiplash.

Dizziness Imbalance Sources

Even common vision problems such as refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism) if left uncorrected, can strain the visual system. The effort required to compensate for these vision issues can cause headaches, eye strain, and dizziness. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing dizziness, it is important to consider vision problems as a potential underlying cause. Consulting with a developmental optometrist, like Dr. Jesse, can provide valuable insights and effective treatment options. By addressing vision-related issues, many people find significant relief from dizziness and an improvement in their overall well-being. It might also help you make progress with other treatments that had previously hit a plateau.

Maintaining good vision health is not just about seeing clearly; it’s also about ensuring your entire visual system is functioning harmoniously to support your daily activities and quality of life.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Vision rehabilitation is a customized treatment program for patients whose stroke, traumatic brain injury, concussion, neurological condition or disease has resulted in visual deficits. It applies the latest methods and knowledge of neuro-plasticity and visual function to help patients develop or regain the essential visual skills necessary for learning and optimal daily function.

Our highly trained North Charleston-based doctor can diagnose issues with eye-teaming, focusing, visual tracking, and visual information processing, and prescribe the most effective optometric vision rehabilitation program so that you can live your best life!

Sometimes the right prescription or prism lenses can help. Optometric vision therapy is another effective treatment option for some of those experiencing dizziness related to vision problems.  Under the guidance of a developmental optometrist, patients can work on training their visual system and brain, which in turn can alleviate dizziness and enhance balance. Vision therapy is especially beneficial for individuals with binocular vision disorders and other conditions that traditional glasses or contact lenses may not fully address.

While occasional, mild dizziness is not a cause for concern, a person who repeatedly experiences dizziness, loss of balance, or who has noticed vision changes should seek help. 

It’s crucial to see a neuro-optometrist as soon as possible after even a minor brain injury. Early treatment significantly increases the chances of success. However, if you’re experiencing symptoms from a head injury that happened months or even years ago, there is still hope. We can evaluate your condition and create a treatment plan to aid your recovery now.

No two patients are alike — if you’ve seen one patient with dizziness, you’ve seen one patient with dizziness.  Individuals experience varying degrees of dizziness, balance issues, and vision problems. While some patients may need only a few weeks of treatment, others might require long-term care. The positive news is that the improvements from neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy are generally long-lasting. After your evaluation, we will create a plan tailored to you and your needs.

A person who feels dizzy may experience:

Vision-related symptoms they could experience include: