Has anyone who has vertigo experienced this symptom? When I get an acute vertigo episode, everything starts spinning, usually clockwise, but sometimes everything just sort of "shifts" in different directions, like my eyes are locked into a cross-eyed position. When I look in the mirror, my eyes look just fine. As the vertigo begins to stop, I can look straight ahead in the mirror and see my head tilting about 30 degrees to the right even though I know I'm holding it perfectly straight. It is the weirdest thing.

Hi ilndlvr,

I'm sure what you are visually experiencing are the nystagmus (involuntary eye movement of the eyes) which happen in response with the vertigo. The movement can be jerking from side to side or rotating in either direction depending on the ear/canal/vestibular part involved. It can happen with your eyes open or closed.

During the period of 3 years when I was badly symptomatic, I remember lying in bed with my eyes closed and I would "see" movement and jerking in my visual field. It would split horizontally and the top part would change and move to the left, and the bottom part would continue moving to the right. A truly strange sensation and difficult to describe.

Are your vestibular problems bilaterally (both ears)? That could be the shift you are talking about, the brain compensation in one ear, then the other ear.

Maybe Subs will come on and explain more clearly than I.

Check out the term nystagmus and see if that's what fits with what you mean.

You won't be able to see it in the mirror, since once you start "looking" you're focussing. Another person would be able to see it. You could try having someone video it for you if you can precipitate a vertigo episode.

I hope you get better soon,
quincy

Hi, Quincy. Thanks for responding. Yes, you described it very well -- I do believe I'm experiencing the nystagmus. The neuro-otologist wasn't able to reproduce much in his office with the Frenzel glasses, but did note a slight refixation or correction when turning my head sharply to the right. I don't believe my problems are bilateral, although I'm not positive. My tests have come back normal. Besides the whole vertigo (spinning/shifting) episode though, I have experienced several times this phenomenon of looking at myself in the mirror, and seeing my head actually tilted a good 30 degrees to the right even though I know it's perfectly straight (this happens just as the spinning is coming to a stop). I actually see my head moving from upright down into a clockwise rotation and then stop in that odd position. Am I the only person who has ever experienced the false image in the mirror? Of course, I know when I'm seeing the shifting and spinning, that's not real, either, so I suppose the "head tilt" illusion is easily explained as well. Thanks, P.

OK, explain it a bit more for me. You mean that you create a vertigo spell and then watch yourself in the mirror? I remember getting the spells really bad when bending forward and brushing my teeth and then gargling (I hold onto the sink because when I got dizzy, it would push me backwards and downwards). I do remember holding on and looking at myself in the mirror, but not noticing what you did.

I have a theory about it....just need you to explain how your vertigo comes about.

Do you also get the vertigo when laying down, as in body/head positional changes?

What about when you're walking....what other symptoms do you have?

Once your vertigo is over....do you function fairly normally?

OK....enough questions for now. Very interesting.

quincy

Hi, Quincy. Yes, many of my vertigo episodes come on while brushing my teeth. I don't get them from body/head changes, unless I'm also doing something else that creates pressure in my head. My otologist says it's not BPPV; he thinks it's fistula -- a tear between the middle and inner ear that leaks fluid and creates vertigo. That the pressure created by clearing my throat while brushing teeth causes the leakage and thus vertigo. (I also get vertigo with other forms of exertion or bending over, etc). I first noticed the odd image in the mirror since I'm standing right there -- but I've gone to look in the mirror other times, and usually as I'm coming out of the vertigo spell, I'll notice this "rotation" of my head in the mirror -- it's like being a fun house! My wits are all about me during all of this; the only thing is that everything is spinning and I can't see straight. I typically lie down for 5 minutes and wait it out if I am at home. At work, I don't have that luxury. P.