Experts say vertigo is an under-diagnosed and under-treated problem. It doesn't take much to throw their worlds off balance.
"At times, standing in front of the shelf and looking from top to bottom would set me off," said patient Judith Uhl.
'The room just spins and spins and spins. Even when your eyes are closed, you can feel the room spinning," said patient Betty Austin.
Even going to the grocery store or turning over in bed can be a dizzying experience.
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Researchers are treating the balance disorder by having patients face their fears in a virtual world.
"It's similar to what some psychotherapists do for anxiety or panic disorder, that you expose somebody to more and more difficult situations," said Dr. Susan Whitney of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Six weeks of wheeling through the virtual store eased dizziness for 75 percent of patients.
"It's wonderful. It's like I got my life back," said patient Susan Dearden.
Researchers are using what is called a "Dizzy Chair" to help Austin with her vertigo. While she tips and turn, special glasses record her eye movements. Those movements help find loose crystals in the inner ear, which is a major cause of vertigo.
"There is a certain maneuver or path that I can vector the patient along to re-position those crystals," said Dr. Ian Purcell, neurologist at Senta Medical Clinic in San Diego.
When the crystals are moved back into place, the vertigo stops.
"The treatment is incredible and how well it works and how good you afterwards," said Austin
Doctors say while other conditions and medications can cause dizziness, true vertigo happens when patients become dizzy while lying down.
The University of Washington uses a form of the dizzy chair and other therapies to help patients with vertigo. Vertigo can also be caused by Meniere's Disease, another inner ear disorder that affects balance.
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