Vestibular (balance) assessment
Videonystagmography (VNG): part of a comprehensive balance assessment
If you are experiencing unsteadiness, dizziness or vertigo due to your hearing loss, your physician may request a balance test called Videonystagmography (VNG) to be certain that there is no serious disease and to look for possible causes of your symptoms.
Stretching from the balance system in the inner ear to the muscles of the eye, there are neural, or nerve connections. A disorder of the balance system will result in small eye jerks that can only be detected and recorded during a VNG, using a sophisticated computer camera (nystagmus).
During this test, you will be wearing special goggles with a camera attached to them to record eye jerks during a series of tasks that consist of looking back and forth between selected points, following moving lights, lying in different positions, shaking your head and lying down and sitting up quickly.
The last part of the test requires putting air in the ear canal for roughly 60 seconds in order to determine if the balance system of each ear can respond normally to stimulation. Some individuals become dizzy for two to five minutes, but most are able to drive home after the test without difficulty. If you are concerned about not being able to drive afterward, please make arrangements for someone to transport you.
Falls Resources