Understanding how your eyes keep you steady
Balance is a fundamental skill that we rely on every day, whether we’re walking, running, or simply standing upright. However, many people don’t realise just how much vision contributes to maintaining balance. Our eyes play a crucial role in helping us stay stable and coordinate movements.
In this blog, we’ll explore how vision affects your balance, why it’s essential, and what happens when visual input is impaired.
The balance system: A delicate dance of senses
Balance is a complex function that involves three primary systems in the body:
- The Vestibular System: Located in the inner ear, this system provides the brain with information about head movement and spatial orientation.
- The Proprioceptive System: This refers to sensory information from muscles and joints that tell the brain where our body parts are in space.
- The Visual System: Your eyes help orient you by providing external references, letting you know where you are in relation to your environment.
For optimal balance, all three systems need to work together in harmony. When one of these systems, such as vision, is compromised, it can disrupt the entire balance mechanism.
How vision affects balance
Vision is the dominant sense that influences our balance. Here are some key ways it plays a role:
1. Spatial orientation and environmental awareness
Your eyes give you information about the objects around you—walls, furniture, stairs, or even the horizon. This external visual input provides a frame of reference, helping your brain calculate where you are in relation to these objects. If the visual information changes suddenly (e.g., in a dark room or during rapid head movements), your brain needs to quickly adjust to maintain balance.
2. Depth perception
Depth perception helps you judge distances between yourself and other objects. Without clear vision, your ability to estimate how far away something is becomes impaired, making tasks like walking downstairs or avoiding obstacles more difficult. Misjudging depth can lead to missteps and loss of balance, especially in unfamiliar environments.
3. Motion perception
When you’re moving—whether walking, running, or driving—your eyes help your brain understand the rate and direction of movement. The combination of visual input with information from the vestibular system allows your brain to make rapid adjustments to maintain balance and coordination. For example, your eyes track your surroundings to prevent you from stumbling when walking on uneven terrain.
4. Head and eye movements
When you move your head, your eyes make compensatory movements, called the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). This reflex ensures that your gaze remains steady on an object, even as your head moves. Without this coordination, your vision would blur with every head movement, leading to dizziness and a loss of balance. The relationship between your eyes and inner ear is critical to maintaining clear vision and stability.
Vision impairment and balance issues
When vision is impaired, your ability to balance effectively is compromised. Vision problems like poor eyesight, cataracts, or neurological conditions can lead to instability. Here’s how different visual issues can affect balance:
- Blurry vision: People with untreated refractive errors like myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness) may experience difficulty in judging distances, leading to an increased risk of falls.
- Peripheral vision loss: Conditions like glaucoma can restrict peripheral vision, making it harder to detect hazards or obstacles from the side, leading to a higher risk of accidents.
- Cataracts: Cataracts cloud the lens of the eye, reducing visual clarity and depth perception. This visual degradation often leads to balance problems, particularly in low-light conditions.
- Vertigo and dizziness: Certain conditions, such as vestibular dysfunction or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), can make you feel dizzy when you move your head. When the eyes can’t stabilise your vision properly, it can result in feelings of disorientation and imbalance.
Vision’s role in balance rehabilitation
For individuals who suffer from balance disorders or visual impairments, rehabilitation often focuses on improving visual control to enhance balance. Techniques like gaze stabilisation exercises (designed to improve the coordination between your eyes and head) can help people with vestibular disorders regain control over their stability.
Similarly, visual training exercises are commonly used in physical therapy to help people recalibrate their balance when vision or depth perception is impaired.
Practical tips to protect your vision and balance
Since vision plays such an essential role in maintaining balance, keeping your eyes healthy is key. Here are some tips to ensure your vision doesn’t impair your ability to stay steady:
- Regular eye check-ups: Ensure your eyes are healthy and your prescription is up to date to avoid blurry vision or misjudgement of distances.
- Good lighting: Ensure well-lit environments at home, especially in areas with stairs or uneven surfaces. Poor lighting makes it harder for the brain to process visual information, increasing the risk of falls.
- Use contrast: In environments where depth perception is challenging, like staircases, using contrasting colours or textures can help your brain better understand spatial relationships.
- Gaze stabilisation exercises: If you struggle with dizziness or vestibular disorders, specific exercises can help you stabilise your gaze and reduce feelings of vertigo.
- Limit screen time: Excessive screen time can cause eye strain and dry eyes, which may indirectly affect your visual perception and coordination.
Conclusion
Your eyes do more than just see—they help keep you balanced. Whether you’re navigating a crowded street or stepping onto a curb, vision provides essential cues that allow your brain to keep you stable. When vision is impaired, balance can be affected, leading to a higher risk of falls and accidents. By understanding how vision affects your balance and taking steps to care for your eyes, you can help ensure that both your vision and your stability remain in top form.
If you’re experiencing balance issues or dizziness, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional, such as an optometrist, neurologist, or physical therapist, to assess whether visual factors might be playing a role.