Comparison of optokinetic stimulation treatments.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of Virtual Reality and DVD optokinetic stimulation exposure on visual induced dizziness symptoms in persons with a vestibular disorder.
IRAS ID
272301
Contact name
Marousa Pavlou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 3 days
Research summary
Persons with a vestibular (e.g. inner ear) disorder often report visual induced dizziness (ViD) symptom (i.e. postural and/or gait instability, dizziness, disorientation) provocation or exacerbation in environments with busy or conflicting visual motion including crowds and supermarkets. ViD is frequently associated with high disability levels, prolonged illness and poorer clinical outcome. Thus, effective treatment is a priority.
Vestibular rehabilitation incorporating structured exposure to Optokinetic Stimulation (OKS) (e.g. a form of computer based intervention that involves the observation of moving visual targets to encourage visual scanning) significantly improves ViD symptoms with similar improvement noted for both ‘low-tech’ OKS provided via a DVD or a ‘high-tech’, expensive, full-field stimulus. No studies have investigated if ‘lower-tech’, cheaper Virtual Reality (VR) systems may be beneficial in treating ViD symptoms and whether these VR systems are more effective than an OKS DVD. The first aim of this work is to compare the effect of an OKS DVD vs “lower-tech” VR system on ViD symptoms in persons with a chronic peripheral vestibular disorder aged 18-50 years old.
This study may help to identify more optimal treatment strategies in persons with a vestibular disorder.REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/1244
Date of REC Opinion
30 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion