8 Ways VNG Tests Help Seniors Detect Balance and Dizziness Issues

For some people, life is an easy walk-through without any serious issues in terms of their health. For others, it can be a constant battle against all manner of maladies that work to dramatically lower their quality of life. One such problem is constant dizziness and poor balance. Although these may not seem like such a terrible issue for those who don't regularly suffer from them, for those who do, it can be a living hell. Aside from the dangers that these can bring, such as losing balance and falling over, they can also cause nausea and headaches that tend not to ever go away. If you are one of these unlucky souls, a VNG test could help to diagnose the problem early (or at least in a better late than never sense), and offer you some ideas on how to remedy it or at least learn techniques to help you live with it.

What Is A VNG Test?

Before we go into how this test can assist you, let's briefly explore what it is for the uninitiated. A VNG test, also known in its non-acronymic form as a Videonystagmography test, is a non-invasive technique that measures your eye movements to evaluate things like your balance, dizziness, and inner ear function. These tests are invaluable for diagnosing not only if you have issues to begin with, but also the severity of your condition. A doctor will use special goggles that utilize cameras that track how your eyes move in response to specific tasks and stimuli. A typical VNG test includes four main parts:

1. Oculomotor tests: This is designed to check how well your eyes and brain are synced up and work together.
2. Positional tests: Not all dizziness and balance issues are equal, and this test will give you an idea of the sorts of movements or eye positions that trigger the problem.
3. Caloric testing: Because your inner ear is what can cause dizziness problems, this test will use water in your ear to check for weakness or asymmetry.
4. Gaze and fixation tests: Involuntary eye movements are believed to be the main culprit of balance dysfunction, and this test helps to find out if this is your issue.

8 Ways VNG Tests Help Seniors Detect A Problem

As you might imagine, this test can reveal a huge amount of data that helps to diagnose your issue. So let's look at how they help specifically.

Pinpoints Whether The Problem Is The Inner Ear, The Brain, Or Both

Because a VNG test is comprised of multiple, connected tests, you will gain a better understanding of where your dizziness and balance issues are arising from. In some cases, it might be from a neurological problem, while in other instances, it could be from a problem with your inner ear. This test can give you the answers you're looking for.

Monitoring Eye Movement Abnormalities

If your concern is eye-related, you will find out with a VNG test. By tracking any involuntary eye movements, your doctor will know if there are any underlying brain--ear communication disruptions that require medication.

Quantifies Vestibular Weakness On One Side

A VNG test can measure unilateral weakness percentage, which is just another way of saying if one side of your head is causing more or less of the problem than the other. This result can help therapists come up with exercises that target the weaker side.

Reveals Hidden "Compensated" Vestibular Loss

Plenty of OAPs will head into their doctor's office and inform them that they might be feeling a little "off" without giving specifics. This can cause some doctors to shrug it off as simply old age and send them away without help. A VNG test will uncover issues that can be easily missed by a busy doctor and inform a long-term plan to help them get back to a state of relative normalcy.

Assessing Motion Sensitivity

By evaluating balance under visual stimulation, this test is able to identify seniors who get dizzy from sudden head movements. By knowing this data, they can reduce or alter their movement patterns to reduce the dizziness they feel.

Proves (Or Disproves) Medication Side Effects

In some cases, medication could be the primary cause of dizziness. Instead of performing long-term tests like altering their prescription to see if it creates a positive outcome (but which can actually cause more problems), a VNG test is a far more rapid way to identify if the problem is neurological or vestibular, or if it is their medication causing the problem.

Provides Objective Evidence For Disability Or Legal Claims

If a senior has an accident and falls and hurts themselves, or they need financial help to live their life, a VNG test can assist with proving that they have genuine disability that requires financial intervention. It can also assist with legal claims like insurance payouts, but you would need to speak with a lawyer specializing in these things before using it unilaterally to prove a claim.

Monitors Recovery Progress After Vestibular Events

VNG tests aren't a one-and-done kind of thing, and they will be used over the course of a certain period of time to figure out if any intervention has helped or hindered their progress. In other words, serial VNG tests show if therapy or time is healing the system.

Who Should Get a VNG Test?

Not all bouts of dizziness or falling from an imbalance require a VNG test, but of course, it’s always best to consult with your doctor first. Otherwise, you can use the following table to get an idea if it’s worthwhile:

Always check with your doctor before self-diagnosing.

Dizziness and occasional loss of balance might not seem all that serious to those fortunate enough not to suffer from them, but for those who do, it can be life-altering and incredibly dangerous. A VNG test is the best wya to diagnose the underlying cause and come up with ways to get your life back to normal.