Visual disorders and mal de debarquement syndrome: a potential comorbidity questionnaire-based study

Cherylea J Browne; Paul Fahey; Stella R Sheeba; Margie H Sharpe; Mark Rosner; Debby Feinberg; Viviana Mucci

doi:10.2144/fsoa-2022-0022

Visual disorders and mal de debarquement syndrome: a potential comorbidity questionnaire-based study

Future Sci OA. 2022 Sep 14;8(7):FSO813. doi: 10.2144/fsoa-2022-0022. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Cherylea J Browne^{1

2

3}, Paul Fahey⁴, Stella R Sheeba^{1

3}, Margie H Sharpe⁵, Mark Rosner⁶, Debby Feinberg⁶, Viviana Mucci¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Science, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia.
² Translational Neuroscience Facility (TNF), School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW, 2033, Australia.
³ Brain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) Lab, School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2560, Australia.
⁴ School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, 2560, Australia.
⁵ Dizziness & Balance Disorders Center, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.
⁶ NeuroVisual Medicine Institute, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302, USA.

Abstract

Aim: Mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS) is a neurological condition characterized by a constant sensation of self-motion; onset may be motion-triggered (MT) or non-motion-triggered/spontaneous (NMT/SO). People with MdDS experience similar symptoms to those with vertical heterophoria, a subset of binocular visual dysfunction. Hence, we aimed to explore potential visual symptom overlaps.

Methods: MdDS patients (n = 196) and controls (n = 197) completed a visual health questionnaire.

Results: Compared with controls, the MdDS group demonstrated higher visual disorder scores and visual complaints. NMT/SO participants reported unique visual symptoms and a higher prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest visual disorders may coexist with MdDS, particularly the NMT/SO subtype. The difference in visual dysfunction frequency and medical histories between subtypes, warrants further investigation into differing pathophysiological mechanisms.

Keywords: balance disorder; binocular vision dysfunction; mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS); mild traumatic brain injuries; vertical heterophoria; vestibular disorders; visual induced dizziness.