Feasibility of mindfulness visualisation to treat visual hypersensitivity

Brief Lay Background

An abnormal sensitivity to visual information ("visual hypersensitivity") is when individuals get dizzy when looking at visual motion. Patients with this symptom often present first to eye doctors. Eye doctors may not be familiar with this symptom, leading to misdiagnosis or unnecessary investigations or treatment.

Visual hypersensitivity can severely restrict a person's ability to function in daily life. It can make it challenging for patients to navigate complex visual environments, such as busy streets or supermarket aisles, leading them to avoid these settings, having negative consequences on their quality of life.

The team hope to provide a personalised treatment plan using mindfulness-visualisation therapy. This novel approach could reduce the burden of symptoms, and help individuals regain their ability to engage in everyday activities with more confidence.

What problem/knowledge gap does it help address?

This project will explore a novel treatment approach for visual hypersensitivity using patients with 'persistent postural perceptual dizziness' (PPPD) as a model for this symptom. They will be specifically targeting the need for a novel therapeutic approach to this common problem that can be used across a range of other conditions associated with visual hypersensitivity (e.g., migraine).

Mindfulness-visualisation therapy has been used successfully to treat visual symptoms, such as diplopia, but this has never been studied before for visual hypersensitivity. The team aim to provide substantial relief to the many individuals who suffer from visual hypersensitivity, enhancing their quality of life and ability to engage in everyday activities. They will be specifically assessing the safety, practicality, and feasibility of mindfulness-visualisation therapy in reducing visual overload, as a novel therapeutic approach for this symptom.

Aim of the research project

To evaluate the feasibility of 4-week mindfulness-visualisation therapy as an intervention to improve visual hypersensitivity.

Potential impact on people with sight loss

First, this project will raise awareness of visual hypersensitivity, as a core element of PPPD, a condition that is under-diagnosed by eye doctors. This will lead to quicker diagnosis and the potential for earlier treatment. 

Second, this project will identify whether mindfulness-visualisation therapy could become a new treatment for visual hypersensitivity, a poorly understood symptom in clinics.