In recent years, rapidly advancing virtual reality (VR) technology has been widely used in many fields, from education to health and from entertainment to therapeutic applications, by creating interactive and highly immersive digital environments. However, the increasing use of VR systems has also been associated with physiological side effects. One of these is Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS), a syndrome characterized by symptoms such as eye strain, fatigue, dizziness, headache, and nausea, especially when individuals experience a sense of motion in virtual environments despite physical immobility. VIMS is thought to occur due to sensory conflicts among the visual, vestibular, and motor systems, and its severity may vary depending on individual factors and the intensity of the visual motion cues. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a VR-based vestibular rehabilitation program on symptoms associated with VIMS. The VR stimuli consist of real travel videos available on the YouTube VR platform. To enhance familiarity and the sense of presence, 360° videos depicting scenes from Istanbul, Turkey were selected and categorized based on difficulty level. The study includes two groups: a control group of healthy individuals and an experimental group of individuals diagnosed with VIMS. All participants undergo baseline assessments. The experimental group receives a VR-based vestibular rehabilitation program for 4 weeks, delivered twice per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes. The intervention uses a VR headset and consists of progressively challenging visual motion stimuli. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated using both subjective and objective outcome measures, including the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), visual analog scale (VAS) symptom ratings, and static posturography assessments (Balance Screening and Limits of Stability - Reaction Time). Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be compared within and between groups to determine the impact of the rehabilitation program. This study is designed to contribute to the understanding of VR-based vestibular rehabilitation approaches and to support the development of safer and more effective VR applications.
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Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) Total Score Unit of Measure: points (0-42; higher scores indicate worse symptoms) Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Timeframe: Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks