Nashoba Valley Medical Center is one of the only facilities in the region to utilize infrared video goggles to diagnose and treat patients suffering from vertigo and other disorders of the inner ear that affect balance.
Infrared video goggles have been used in research and clinical practices since the 1970s to make examination of a dizzy vestibular patient more effective by allowing a clinician to see eye movements that are often supp-
ressed in room light. The patient wearing the goggles only sees darkness. At the same time, the infrared cameras inside the goggles (one in front of each eye) allow the clinician to view the patient’s eyes via a computer or laptop screen.
Utilizing vestibular therapy techniques, the therapist can guide the patient through specific head and neck maneuvers such as the canalith repositioning maneuver to help displace canalith crystals in the inner ear (which can cause vertigo) from the canals of the inner ear.