Vertical Heterophoria is an uncommonly recognized eye alignment condition that can cause very similar symptoms to MAV. It is caused by a misalignment of the eyes that causes over-working of the eye muscles to maintain vertical eye alignment. According to Dr. Debby Feinburg, VH causes many different symptoms, including:
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Nausea
Unsteadiness
Drifting While Walking
Poor Coordination
Poor Depth Perception
Motion Sickness
Headaches
Neck Ache
Head Tilt
Anxiety From Dizziness
Feeling Overwhelmed or Anxious in Crowds or Large Spaces
Light Sensitivity / Glare
Double Vision
Shadowed/Overlapping Vision
Difficulty with Reading & Reading Comprehension
I always feel like my eyes dont focus properly, and I find it very difficult to read. After hearing about this condition, I am going to speak with an Optometrist in my healthcare network. My ENT diagnosed me with MAV, but I feel that it would be beneficial to rule out the possibility of VH.
That’s interesting, as so many symptoms overlap with MAV. I reckon I have (or had at some point) nearly everything on that list.
Do you know how it’s diagnosed?
From childhood, my left eye has gone out 45 degrees to the left when it relaxes. The right eye is much better, it goes out only 10 or 15 degrees outward. This has given me double vision since as far back as I can remember. I simply tune out one eye at a time. I can force them to align, but it takes a lot of effort and is very unnatural to me.
I was diagnosed with Vestibular Neuritis based on a 25% caloric weakness in my left ear during the water test. I also had below average on the posture test, and had nygstagmus on head shaking test, etc.
I have always wondered how much of a role my eyes played in all of this. I was told they could fix it, but it would require surgery on both eyes, a hospital stay, and here is the kicker – they are not sure how my brain will react when after 48 years it finally starts to get a single aligned signal. It could be a problem for the brain, actually.
But the misalignment might be what is holding me back from compensating for the bad ear, since my eyes do a horrible job of holding me steady.
One of my ENTs said that my eyes are the “wild card”, the “joker in the deck” for my condition.
Thanks for posting this. I have not seen an eye doctor since I got this condition 10 months ago, but I will go ahead and set something up.
I wonder if you’ve responded to meds, if that means that it isn’t your eyes?
If I stop taking my meds, then my symptoms continue…so I don’t feel like there’s been any brain compensation…only that I’m treading water…stop treading and …no bueno…