Introduction:

In the patient with chronic vestibular dysfunction, it is very frequent to note more imbalance or dizziness produced by its own movement or the overloaded visual environment; this is called also visual dependence that is part of the visual vertigo syndrome. In other cases, like somatosensory dependence, the patient will lose balance easily when the support surface changes. The objective of this review was to describe the visual and somatosensory dependence patterns as well as how to treat them.

Method:

Narrative review.

Results:

Visual vertigo is currently a clinical diagnosis based on the patient's history of disease presentation. Through repeated exposure to trigger stimuli, the central nervous system is able to increase tolerance and improve functional results. Traditional treatments for this disorder involve vestibular rehabilitation therapy, virtual reality simulators of moving objects, as well as graded exposure to optokinetic stimulation.

Discussion/Conclusion:

Although the real nature of the visual cues for posture stabilization remains an open debate, the goal of therapy is to promote desensitization to visual stimuli and increase tolerance.

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