Visual-Vestibular Mismatch
Understanding the basics

Your vision (eyes) is one part of your brain. Your vestibular (inner ear) is another part of your brain. When these two parts of the brain are not communicating properly, a visual-vestibular mismatch occurs. Multiple symptoms can appear as a result of this conflict.

Think of how one feels inside a carnival funhouse. The purpose of the spinning tunnels, moving floors, and curved mirrors is to make it difficult for the eyes and ears to agree on what is being experienced. This resulting perceived distortion of space and motion can produce dizziness, disorientation and nausea.

The source of this mismatch may be caused by injury to the physical eyes or inner ears; or injury to the brain itself that interferes with the way the eye and ear signals communicate with each other.

Think of an orchestra of musicians. What happens to the quality of music when everyone is playing the correct notes, but the musicians are not playing in-sync with one another? The music will sound off despite all the correct notes being played.

The resulting conflict between the eyes and ears interferes with the brain’s ability to accurately understand where it is. When you don’t know where you are, it is difficult to navigate your surroundings or judge the space around you. This fundamentally interferes with the ability to see, hear, move, and think!