The Link Between Vision and Balance

A well-balanced life — in the literal sense — relies on several key systems, including good vision. Let’s dive into how vision and balance connect and how to strengthen this link.

From the moment you get out of bed, your balance helps you move throughout the day while staying upright— whether you’re walking down the street, getting dressed, or rising from a chair. Without good balance, your risk for falls increases, which is common among older adults: 14 million Americans over the age of 65 fall each year.

That said, vision plays a key role in balance. In this post, our team of neuro-optometrists at DeyeNAMICS takes a closer look at this connection. Read on to find out how vision and physical stability are linked and what we can do to improve the connection.

Understanding Balance

Your vestibular system, a complex network of structures and neural pathways, helps you sense where your head is in space and maintain equilibrium. Your vestibular system pairs with joint positional information in your body to provide a physical awareness of where you are in space, especially against gravity.

Five structures in your inner ear make up your peripheral vestibular system, which gathers information and feeds it to your brain, the central vestibular system.

The tiny organs in your inner ear register your head movements and relay this information to your brain to keep you balanced. This information is combined with other data, such as visual input and sensory data from your muscles and joints.

As a result, three systems are responsible for most of your balance:

Your inner ear (vestibular)
Your eyes (vision)
Your muscles and joints (proprioception)

Looking more closely at vision, many of the nerve fibers that connect your eyes to your brain also interact with your vestibular system. Also, your vestibulo-ocular reflex allows you to stay focused on a stationary object while you move, staying balanced the entire time.

One way you can demonstrate how important vision is for balance is by standing on one leg with both eyes open. Compare how well you balance in this position to standing on one leg with your eyes closed. Most individuals will find that maintaining balance is more difficult with their eyes closed. The same can be said for reducing the amount you’re seeing by looking through a paper towel roll while standing on one leg.

Improving Vision for Better Balance

Balance can start to deteriorate as early as age 50. Your vision can also start to decline, which, as we’ve just learned, plays a significant role in your balance. Your muscles and joints may also weaken, which can further affect your balance.

Additionally, poor vision at any age may cause balance issues when the brain receives faulty input from the eyes. This is especially true if peripheral vision is impacted or reduced.

As neuro-optometrists, we understand the close connection between balance and vision and offer different therapeutic services including prisms and exercises to help improve the relationship between vision and balance, such as Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy™ and aids to improve visual input.

Explore Vision Rehabilitation for Yourself

If you struggle with balance, vision rehabilitation can help you move more easily and confidently while also reducing risk of fall or serious injury.

For questions about the vision-balance connection or to schedule an appointment with one of our neuro-optometrists, contact us at one of our offices in Sacramento, Bellflower, or Valencia, California; Guildford, Connecticut; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; or Plano, Texas.