Comparative Effects Of Gaze Stability Exercises And Optokinetic Exercises In Patients With Vestibular Hypofunction

Vestibular hypofunction characterized by impaired balance and spatial orientation due to the inner ear's vestibular system issues present significant challenges for affected individuals. Gaze stability exercises enhance focus despite head movements while optokinetic exercises improve eye movement control. Both interventions benefit people with vestibular issues aiming to enhance stability, decrease dizziness and improve balance. This study aims to investigate and compare the effects of gaze stability exercises and optokinetic exercises on dizziness, balance, and activities of daily living in patients with vestibular hypofunction. This randomized clinical trial will occur at Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur within 7 months after the approval of synopsis. The sample size for this trial will be 40 participants. Participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be recruited by using the convenience sampling randomly allocated into two groups by computer generator method. 20 participants will be assigned to Group A receiving gaze stability exercises and 20 to the Group B receiving optokinetic exercises, both alongside routine physical therapy. Each group will undergo 5 weekly sessions of treatment for 4 weeks. The assessment tools include Dizziness Handicap Inventory for dizziness; Mini-BESTest and modified-Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction of Balance for balance assessment while Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale for daily activities. Assessment will be carried out at baseline, 2nd and 4th week. The data will be analyzed using SPSS version 24 for Windows software with the significance level set at p = 0.05. Shapiro-Wilk test will assess data normality. Between group analysis will utilize the Independent t-test for parametric data and Mann-Whitney test for non-parametric data. Within group comparisons will employ repeated measure ANOVA Paired t- test for parametric data and Friedman ANOVA for non-parametric data.