Background: Binasal Occlusion (BNO) is a clinical technique used by many neurorehabilitative optometrists in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and
increased visual motion sensitivity (VMS) or visual vertigo. BNO is a technique in which
partial occluders are added to the spectacle lenses to suppress the abnormal peripheral visual motion information. This technique helps in reducing VMS symptoms (i.e., nausea, dizziness, balance difficulty, visual confusion).
Case Report: A 44-year-old AA female presented for a routine eye exam with a history
of mTBI approximately 33 years ago. She was suffering from severe dizziness for the last two years that was adversely impacting her ADLs. The dizziness occurred in all body positions and all environments throughout the day. She was diagnosed with vestibular hypofunction and had undergone vestibular therapy but reported little improvement. Neurological exam revealed dizziness with both OKN drum and hand movement, especially in the left visual field. BNO technique resulted in immediate relief of her dizziness symptoms.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case that illustrates how the BNO technique in isolation can be beneficial for patients with mTBI and vestibular hypofunction. It demonstrates the success that BNO has in filtering abnormal peripheral visual motion in these patients.
Perceptual and cognitive processes in time-to-contact estimation: Analysis of prediction-motion and relative judgment tasks
