23/04/2024
One of the most common questions we've been asked while getting the clinic up-and-running, is "Do you have the goggles?".... We do have them, and for many clients we wouldn't want to work without them!
We use the Vesticam system of infrared oculography goggles. They allow us to view and record eye movements during some of our assessments and treatments. Our Practice Lead, Chris Swinburne, has been using them for years!
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For those who like reading and don't mind some medical jargon:
The article “Nystagmus goggles: how to use them, what you find and what it means” by Halmagyi, Garvie and Strupp, published in Practical Neurology 2020, explains why “nystagmus goggles are essential for any clinician dealing with dizzy patients”.
Research has demonstrated that when clinicians examine a patient with vestibular pathology solely in room light, they overlook around two-thirds of abnormal eye movements. In contrast, infrared video goggles and ENG have both shown to detect 100% of these abnormal eye movements (Baba et al., 2004; Ozel et al., 2022). This finding is particularly significant for BPPV, the most prevalent cause of episodic vertigo (Kim et al., 2021). Untreated BPPV increases the risk of falls and fractures for patients (Lawson et al., 2008; Liao et al., 2015). Timely treatment of vestibular conditions reduces hospital wait times, use of unnecessary medications and hospital admissions.
IR video goggles support gold standard vestibular care.
Refs:
Baba S, Fukumoto A, Aoyagi M, Koizumi Y, Ikezono T, Yagi T. (2004). A Comparative Study on the Observation of Spontaneous Nystagmus with Frenzel Glasses and an Infrared CCD Camera. Journal of Nippon Medical School. 71 (1): 25-29.
Bery AK, Wang CF, Gold DR, Chang TP. The fixation suppression test can uncover vertical nystagmus of central origin in some patients with dizziness. Neurol Sci. 2021 Dec;42(12):5343-5352.
Edlow JA, Newman-Toker D. Using the Physical Examination to Diagnose Patients with Acute Dizziness and Vertigo. J Emerg Med. 2016 Apr;50(4):617-28.
Halmagyi GM, McGarvie LA, Strupp M. Nystagmus goggles: how to use them, what you find and what it means. Pract Neurol. 2020 Dec;20(6):446-450.
Kim HJ, Park J, Kim JS. Update on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. J Neurol. 2021 May;268(5):1995-2000. doi: 10.1007/s00415-020-10314-7. Epub 2020 Nov 24.
Lawson J, Bamiou DE, Cohen HS, Newton J. Positional vertigo in a Falls Service. Age Ageing. 2008 Sep;37(5):585-9.
Liao WL, Chang TP, Chen HJ, Kao CH. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is associated with an increased risk of fracture: a population-based cohort study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 May;45(5):406-12.
Özel HE, Karakuzu AT, Temir H, Alpay M, Özdoğan F, Genç S. Effect of ocular fixation on positional nystagmus in BPPV patients. Int J Audiol. 2022 Apr 19:1-6.
