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Motion sickness amelioration induced by prism spectacles
1Instituut voor Zintuigfysiologie, TNO, Soesterberg, The Netherlands. bos@tm.tno.nl
Brain Research Bulletin
|March 3, 1999
Summary
Prism glasses prescribed for reading difficulties unexpectedly reduced car sickness in children. Symptoms improved significantly and returned upon discontinuation, suggesting a direct therapeutic effect beyond placebo.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
Background:
- Learning disabilities can impact various aspects of a child's development.
- Car sickness (motion sickness) is a common issue affecting children.
- Prism glasses are sometimes used to address visual processing issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate an observed side effect of prism glasses.
- To determine if prism glasses alleviate car sickness in children with learning disabilities.
- To quantify the reduction in car sickness symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Prescription of Utermöhlen prism glasses for reading improvement in learning disabled children.
- Monitoring and quantifying reported car sickness symptoms.
- Assessing symptom changes after discontinuation of prism glasses.
Main Results:
- A significant alleviation of car sickness was observed as a side effect.
- A decrease in the estimated number of emeses (vomiting episodes) per year per patient was recorded.
- Symptoms of car sickness returned when the prism glasses were no longer used.
Conclusions:
- Prism glasses, prescribed for reading difficulties, can unexpectedly alleviate car sickness in children.
- The effect appears specific to the prism glasses and not a placebo effect.
- Further research may explore the mechanism behind this visual-motor connection.
