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

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Ophthalmology
• Vestibular Science

Background:

• Mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS) is a neurological condition causing a persistent sensation of motion.
• MdDS symptoms can be triggered by motion (MT) or occur spontaneously (NMT/SO).
• Similarities exist between MdDS symptoms and vertical heterophoria, a type of binocular visual dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential overlaps in visual symptoms between individuals with MdDS and controls.
• To explore differences in visual complaints between motion-triggered and non-motion-triggered/spontaneous MdDS subtypes.

Main Methods:

• A visual health questionnaire was administered to 196 MdDS patients and 197 healthy controls.
• Statistical analysis compared visual disorder scores and symptom prevalence between groups.

Main Results:

• MdDS patients reported significantly higher visual disorder scores and more visual complaints than controls.
• The non-motion-triggered/spontaneous (NMT/SO) MdDS subtype reported unique visual symptoms.
• NMT/SO participants also showed a higher prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury compared to other groups.

Conclusions:

• Visual disorders may frequently coexist with Mal de debarquement syndrome.
• The non-motion-triggered/spontaneous subtype of MdDS appears to have a distinct visual symptom profile.
• Differences in visual dysfunction and medical history between MdDS subtypes suggest unique pathophysiological mechanisms requiring further study.