When an inner ear suddenly stops working, the first sign is seeing the room spin. There’s another sign that is also very annoying and unsettling—the world can appear to shift in a blur when turning your head quickly. Usually this just happens when you turn toward the bad ear. If both ears are not working, this blurring can happen every time the head moves or even jiggles slightly.
Continue reading “Blink Turns: An exercise to tame blurred vision”Sudden inner ear damage
Sudden damage to one inner ear causes severe dizziness and can also cause imbalance and difficulty with focusing the eyes. Unilateral vestibulopathy is the technical name for this problem; unilateral indicates that the process affects one ear, and vestibulopathy is a general term referring to disease of the vestibular system. The process is acute, meaning that it came on abruptly. Some people also lose hearing as they lose balance function. Ringing in the ear (tinnitus) can indicate hearing loss.
Continue reading “Sudden inner ear damage”Drugs and dizziness
Intoxication with drugs that affect the vestibular system can cause dizziness and imbalance. There is often nystagmus, abnormal jerking eye movements that indicate that the vestibular system is not working properly. Usually there is also a tendency to stagger when walking, called ataxia. Most of these drugs affect the cerebellum of the brain, a part of the brain at the base of the skull used to coordinate movement and balance. Intoxication with certain drugs may also affect the inner ear.
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Ending Vertigo Today 