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Vertigo Essay

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INTRODUCTION

The Vestibular, Ocular Reflex (VOR) is an important
Reflex that serves to allow our vision to be fixed during movement (i.e.: while the head is in motion).

The vestibular refers to the inner ear and ocular refers to the eye. The inner ear relates to the control of your eyes and plays a vital part in balance, spinal problems, and core issues. As mentioned in the name, the VOR incorporates both the visual and the vestibular systems, tying together information from the semicircular canals also known as the vestibular labyrinth.

The semicircular canals, which are situated in the inner ear, house sensory information that measures and directs the eyes to move in the opposite direction to the movement of the head. The semicircular canal provides a signal for the …show more content…

The sensory information provided by both ears is normally symmetrical. Signals coming from the left ear correspond with the information provided by the right ear. Thus, if the vestibular organs in one or both ears are not working properly, the brain receives conflicting signals about movement, resulting in the sensation of vertigo.

Vertigo is a sensation of motion or spinning that is often described as dizziness. There are two types of vertigo, peripheral and central vertigo. Peripheral vertigo is due to a problem in the part of the inner ear that controls balance. These areas as discussed above are called the semicircular canals.

Professor Roger Hugh Stephen Carpenter is an English neurophysiologist and a Professor of Oculomotor Physiology at the University of Cambridge. He recognises that head movements, both rotational and translational, stimulate the vestibulo ocular reflex.
This would include either turning the head back and forth (horizontally), nodding (vertically), or bringing the ear to the shoulder, all while keeping the eyes fixated on a

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