The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but for one D occupational s therapist on who treats patients dealing with vertigo, the eyes are also the window to the inner ear.
"The eyes are actually hardwired to your inner ear organ," North Vancouver resident Abeed Hirji explains. "The best way to see what's happening inside the inner ear clinically is by examining the eyes."
People have the ability to suppress abnormal eye movement, according to Hirji, but by limiting what the patient can see by placing them in the dark and having them wear infrared goggles, the eyes reveal everything.
"They can't see anything, so they can't suppress anything," Hirji says.
The goggles are equipped with a camera connected to a monitor, allowing Hirji to look for abnormal eye movement called nystagmus.
"It's a pattern that is created if there's some sort of disturbance within the inner ear."
Hirji, who works at the LifeMark Health Centre in Downtown Vancouver, says many of his sessions begin by trying to figure out just what his patients mean when they say 'I'm dizzy.'
Vertigo can be caused by anxiety, alcohol, and many other factors, but true vertigo is usually caused by an inner ear problem, according to Hirji.
"Vertigo is a distinct sensation," he says. "It's probably best defined as a sensation that the room is spinning or that you feel like you're spinning in space."
But while some young people resist treatment, Hirji stresses that an inner ear problem can affect anyone.
