Visual Motion Sensitivity Treatment

Visual motion sensitivity is also known as visual motion hypersensitivity or visual motion intolerance.

Thought to be one of the primary symptoms of a visual-vestibular mismatch, visual motion sensitivity refers to a condition in which individuals experience discomfort, headache, eyestrain, dizziness, nausea, motion sickness, sense of overwhelmingness, anxiety, or other symptoms in response to exposure to visual motion.  

Visual motion sensitivity can be provoked while an individual is stationary (e.g. scrolling on phone, watching an action scene on TV, standing still at a busy transit station), moving eyes and/or head (e.g. watching a live sporting event), or moving through space (e.g. walking through a grocery store, or travelling in a vehicle).  

An individual with visual motion sensitivity is also frequently bothered by rapidly flashing lights (e.g. fluorescent lighting, flashing road lights) and static visual clutter (e.g. checkboard tile or carpet patterns).

Visual motion sensitivity treatment usually involves a combination of visual-vestibular mismatch management and desensitization strategies.