Day three

Thursday August 2, 2012  Seems I have 20/20 vision at rest. A little less when slowly tracking prey (smooth pursuit) ..and a whole lot less when rapidly tracking prey (fast tracking). So much for my career as big game hunter. Fast tracking makes my eyes rattle around their sockets like marbles in a fishbowl. The eye chart blurs along with the rest of the room and I get motion sickness. Jill, the Vestibular Expert, looks at the saccadic movement of my eyeballs. She sees them ‘flutter’ then overshoot their mark at the periphery. “You have pronounced vestibular impairment on both sides and virtually no vestibular-ocular reflex. Means your vision will blur when your head bounces or turns.” She explains the three components of balance 

1. Vestibular (the carpenters level inside my head providing equilibrium or sense of orientation in space) 
2. Peripheral sensors in my joints (providing proprioception) 
3. Ocular (visual confirmation of my location in space)

“We can help you put some vestibular function under conscious control and give you a better feel for the ground (proprioception) ..just try and keep your eyes open and don’t make any sudden movements with your head ..start trusting your peripheral vision more.” OK ..so my balance is challenged and disappears when you turn off the lights. You might say I've been grounded.