title: Does spectacle use lead to vestibular suppression?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laboratory experiments indicate that changes in retinal image size result in adaptive recalibration or suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Myopia correction with spectacles or contact lenses also leads to retinal image size changes, and may bring about similar vestibulo-ocular reflex alterations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A hypothesis-generating preliminary investigation was conducted. In this cross-sectional study, findings of electronystagmography including bithermal caloric testing were compared between 17 volunteer myopes using spectacles or contact lenses and 17 volunteer emmetropes (with no refractive error).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bilateral hypoactive caloric responses were demonstrated in 6 of 11 spectacle users, in 1 of 6 contact lens users and in 1 of 17 emmetropes. Hypoactive caloric responses were significantly more likely in spectacle users than in emmetropes (p < 0.01; relative risk = 9.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant proportion of myopes using spectacles have vestibulo-ocular reflex suppression, as demonstrated by the caloric test. This has implications for the interpretation of electronystagmography and videonystagmography results, and highlights spectacle use as a possible cause of vestibular impairment. Further corroboration of these findings is warranted, with more precise and direct vestibulo-ocular reflex tests such as rotational tests and the head impulse test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head - Neck Surgery,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thakar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002150:Caloric Tests; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004584:Electronystagmography; D005139:Eyeglasses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Caloric Tests; Myopia; Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex