Abstract
Environmental circumstances that result in ambiguity or conflict with the patterns
of sensory stimulation may adversely affect the vestibular system. The effect of this
conflict in sensory information may be dizziness, a sense of imbalance, nausea, and
motion sickness sometimes even to seemingly minor daily head movement activities.
In some, it is not only exposure to motion but also the observation of objects in
motion around them such as in supermarket aisles or other places with visual commotion;
this can lead to dizziness, nausea, or a feeling of motion sickness that is referred
to as visual vertigo. All people with normal vestibular function can be made to experience motion sickness,
although individual susceptibility varies widely and is at least partially heritable.
Motorists learn to interpret sensory stimuli in the context of the car stabilized
by its suspension and guided by steering. A type of motorist's disorientation occurs
in some individuals who develop a heightened awareness of perceptions of motion in
the automobile that makes them feel as though they may be rolling over on corners
and as though they are veering on open highways or in streaming traffic. This article
discusses the putative mechanisms, consequences and approach to managing patients
with visual vertigo, motion sickness, and motorist's disorientation syndrome in the
context of chronic dizziness and motion sensitivity.
Keywords
visual vertigo - dizziness - motion sickness - disorientation - vehicles
