Can Vision Therapy Help with Motion Sickness?

If you’ve ever felt dizzy or nauseous while reading in a moving car or watching fast-moving visuals, you’ve experienced motion sickness. While it’s often blamed on inner ear imbalance, motion sickness can also be linked to how your eyes and brain work together. At Carolina Vision Rehabilitation, our experienced eye doctor in Charlotte offers advanced solutions like neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy to help improve visual processing and reduce symptoms related to motion sensitivity.

Understanding the Connection Between Vision and Motion Sickness

Motion sickness happens when your brain receives conflicting signals from your visual system, inner ear (vestibular system), and body. For example, when you’re sitting still in a car but your eyes see motion outside, your eyes tell your brain that you’re moving - but your body says otherwise. This sensory mismatch confuses the brain and can lead to nausea, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, or even anxiety.

While anyone can experience motion sickness, people with certain visual conditions are more prone to it. These include:

•           Binocular vision dysfunction - When the eyes don’t align perfectly, it causes double or unstable vision.

•           Poor eye tracking - Difficulty following moving objects can make visual input feel jumpy or disorienting.

•           Convergence insufficiency - When the eyes struggle to turn inward together for close-up tasks, the brain receives conflicting visual cues.

•           Vestibular-ocular reflex problems - When the eyes don’t properly stabilize during head movement, motion sensitivity increases.

How Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Therapy Works to Reduce Motion Sensitivity

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy is a personalized treatment program designed to improve how the brain processes visual information. Using a combination of targeted visual exercises, lenses, prisms, and balance activities, vision therapy strengthens the connection between the visual and vestibular systems.

Some common goals of vision therapy for motion sickness include:

•           Improving visual stability so that moving environments feel less overwhelming.

•           Enhancing eye tracking and coordination to reduce dizziness and visual confusion.

•           Training the brain to process visual motion more efficiently so you can handle dynamic situations like driving, scrolling, or sports with ease.

•           Reducing visual-vestibular conflict, helping your eyes and body stay synchronized during motion.

Over time, these improvements can lead to significant relief - not just from motion sickness, but also from related symptoms like headaches, light sensitivity, or balance issues.

Who Can Benefit from Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation?

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation isn’t just for those with traditional motion sickness. It can also help individuals who experience visual discomfort or dizziness after:

•           A concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI)

•           A stroke or neurological event

•           Vestibular disorders like vertigo or balance dysfunction

•           Prolonged screen exposure, which can disrupt normal eye movement patterns

Dr. Bergin performs a thorough visual evaluation to identify the root causes of your symptoms. From there, we create a customized treatment plan tailored to your visual and neurological needs.

Restore Balance and Visual Comfort with Expert Care

Motion sickness is more than an inconvenience - it’s a sign that your visual and vestibular systems may be out of sync. With neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy, you can strengthen this connection, improve visual comfort, and regain stability in motion.
 

Contact Carolina Vision Rehabilitation to schedule a consultation and discover how neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy can help reduce your motion sickness and restore balance to your life. Visit our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, or call (980) 613-0919 to book an appointment today.