Drugs/Therapy

Can Virtual Reality Treat Vertigo?

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Jan 30, 2017 07:00 AM EST

A team of psychologists at the Cardiff University aims to use virtual reality to diagnose and treat visual vertigo. The team created a virtual environment that will help in the diagnosis and the rehabilitation of the condition.

BBC reports that a potentially feasible solution in diagnosing and treating vertigo, a condition that results in dizziness and nausea due to repetitive visual patterns, can be achieved through virtual reality.

The School of Psychology in Cardiff University would like to understand what causes vertigo and an effective rehabilitation therapy available. They would like to develop a solution to make a vertigo patient work and function despite their condition.

One of the most significant observations in their study was that vertigo sufferers had variations between the triggers of their symptoms. Some patients' vertigo is triggered by a certain environment, while others are not and vice versa. With the aid of virtual reality, they can determine the particular environment that specifically triggers vertigo for a patient and then create a specific rehabilitation therapy based on their individual triggers.

As virtual reality becomes in demand and cheaper to the public, chances of acquiring such technology can become accessible for many. Some of the famous VR headset technologies in the market include the Oculus Rift and the HTC vibe, according to The Guardian.

Virtual reality practically transformed gaming and is about to hit the mainstream in most medical studies. It is already being used to triumph against Acrophobia or the fear of heights, through exposure therapy. Virtual reality is very helpful in taking people into real-life situations, addressing their fears and conquering it in the process.

As virtual reality systems and experience improves and sharpens through time, with the aid of technology, providing remedies to psychological and visual ailments becomes even more feasible. Diagnosis and rehabilitation also become more precise and effective for vertigo and other visually related conditions.

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