Dynamic Visual Acuity

Has anyone done a test called dynamic visual acuity?

https://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/practice/dynvisual.html

Yes, and No. Iā€™ve done the simplified UK version of same. Trying to find the solution to what ultimately turned out to be MAV I tried to get an appointment to see somebody at a far off Balance Centre as a private patient. Before seeing me the consultant there insisted I tested my VOR whilst he hung on the phone. He instructed me to open a full page of text on the computer screen, select one longish word from the middle of the page, fix my eyes on it and then turn my head left to right to see if it would stay in focus. I think we may have changed words a couple of times and we certainly did start off with slow head turns and then try much faster ones. As the chosen word stayed perfectly clear, he declared there was nothing wrong with my VOR and told me not to bother to attend his clinic. Dr Hain, my vestibular bible for most things, adopts a more scientific approach. Helen

https://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/practice/dynvisual.html

Thanks for the link but I read it before I made the post :smile: that was the reason I posted it. Wanted to see of anyone have done it. Did you move your head alone or the doc did it?

Ah then you could have posted it. Lots of people wouldnā€™t;t know what you were referring to. Trouble is at the beginning the whole experience of MAV can be such a fog, in more ways than one, that they donā€™t notice what tests they are asked to do and have no idea to what they relate. I didnā€™t. Helen

I was talking to him over a phone!

I canā€™t find a doc who can perform this test. I have done it several times alone lol, but staring random stuff or words moving my head repeatedly right and left, the words or the object is moving a lot and I get really dizzy.

Some doctors and all neuros can perform a Head Impulse Test which will do the same, ie check your VOR. Helen

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The only thing they done to me is the finger test which is not even close to this one. So DVA is not necessary to diagnose VM?

I had ā€˜follow my fingerā€™ tests too. From my experience of two neuros only one did the Head Impulse Test for VOR as part of their diagnostic tests to check for MAV. Testing for MAV is a ā€˜tick boxā€™ sort of exercise. Each of the tests they do either confirms or denies the presence of one particular symptom of MAV. Then they must count up the positives and the negatives in order to reach their decision. That decision is also much influenced by the detailed history of what we tell them when questioned. Together this makes up their picture of what us wrong with us. Iā€™m not a medically trained person but I donā€™t think thereā€™s any one test that would either confirm or deny that what we are suffering with is MAV. Perhaps you could ask your neurologist. Helen

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As I know from my experience the rotary chair and the ā€œgaze testā€ plus the history of random migraine attacks insists that you may have VM. But to make sure that is probably MAV/VM I think you should have made every other image test available plus a spinal tap.

Donā€™t think Iā€™ve come across anybody being offered a spinal tap for MAV. in the Best of All Possible Worlds maybe people would be offered all these tests. Unfortunately we arenā€™t living in that world. It doesnā€™t exist, MAVā€™s much underrated. Medics donā€™t really appreciate the impact it can have on peopleā€™s quality of life. Itā€™s viewed as a non life threatening condition and isnā€™t much bothered about by the medical profession with a few exceptions. Most consultants view any dizzy patients as ā€˜Heart Sinkā€™ patients to send on their way as quickly as possible. Thatā€™s the world we live in Iā€™m afraid. Helen

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Oh I said spinal tap to rule out other conditions who may disturb the CNS. I felt that many times on many doctors. As soon as they see that you dont have something obvious they stop concerning.

Agreed. They do an MRI to rule out anything that may threaten life. Once thatā€™s done it much reduces their duty of care. MAV can never be as important as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, anorexia, etc, etc because itā€™s not fatal. Fair enough. They only have limited resources. Helen

That was a nauseating read. I did something similar at the audiologist - and puked. When I told my GP about it she laughed and said ā€˜never let them move you to a second location!ā€™ (which is a kidnapping joke) I think about it every time I have a series of tests at the eye doctor.

Actually, for me (and probably for others here), itā€™s the catch-all diagnosis that they give when they canā€™t find anything else. In my case all of my tests came back normal and the doctor said, ā€œItā€™s probably vestibular migraine,ā€ which led me to believe that they call it VM when they canā€™t find anything specific that is wrong with the ear/balance system.

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I agree. Hopefully research will turn to the pro-inflammatory cytokines that are VM specific and we can get out of the wastebasket diagnosis.