The Amazing Image Stabiliser Inside Your Head: Understanding The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex 

When you shoot a video on a new smartphone, the video looks smooth, even when moving or your hand shakes. This is called ‘image stabilisation’, and the VOR in our bodies has a similar function. 

Representational image.

Source : Pixabay

By Dr Anita Bhandari & Dr Anushka Bhandari  

Imagine you’re in a board room and quickly turn your head to see who’s speaking. Whether you’re playing sports, watching tennis at Wimbledon, or walking along a busy street, every time you move your head, your eyes automatically adjust so that you see everything clearly. This doesn’t happen by magic — it’s thanks to an incredible ‘image stabilising mechanism’ built into your body, similar to what new smartphones have. This system, called the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR), ensures that no matter how much you move your head, what you’re looking at stays sharp and steady.

How Does This Work?

When you shoot a video on a smartphone, the video looks smooth, even when moving or your hand shakes. This is called ‘image stabilisation’, and the VOR in our bodies has a similar function. Our bodies have a natural image-stabilising system that keeps our vision sharp even when we’re on the move. The VOR system ensures that your eyes move with an equal speed, but in the opposite direction to  your head, so that the image you see stays still on your retina (the part of your eye that sees images).

The Secret Is In Your Ears

Believe it or not, your ears are responsible for this fantastic system. Besides hearing, your ears also help keep your balance. They contain tiny sensors that track turning or angular movements (like when you nod your head up and down, or turn it left to right) and linear movements (like when you walk forward or tilt your head).

These tiny sensors embedded in your inner ear are powerful enough to detect every slight motion of your head. They tell your brain exactly how you’re moving as if you have a GPS for your head. The information sent to the brain by the ‘balance’ nerves is processed to send quick signals to your eyes, telling them to move in the opposite direction of your head’s movement. This helps keep whatever you’re looking at perfectly still, no matter how fast you or your head moves.

The Cheetah’s Secret Weapon

The cheetah is the fastest animal on land. It gallops at incredible speeds when it hunts deer, its body bouncing up and down. If the cheetah were to lose sight of the prey for even a few seconds, it would never be able to hunt it. Yet, even with all that movement, its eyes always stay focused on the target. Its head stays steady, and the image of its prey doesn’t blur. The cheetah's VOR works so well that it can keep its focus locked on the prey even while sprinting at full speed.

What Happens When VOR Isn’t Working Properly?

Now, imagine if your body’s image stabiliser malfunctions. If something goes wrong with the sensors in your ears, the balance nerves that send messages to your brain, or how the brain processes these signals, things can get blurry whenever you move your head. You could find it hard to see clearly while walking or looking around quickly, and everything might look shaky or out of focus.

People with this issue often think something is wrong with their eyesight and might go to an eye doctor. But, in reality, their eyes are perfectly fine. The problem is with the balance system in their ear or the brain, rather than their eyes. To figure this out, doctors use special examinations like the video Head Impulse test, VNG -guided Caloric test and Dynamic Visual Acuity tests to check if the VOR is working correctly.

The Wonders Of The Human Body

The VOR is an example of how our body has highly evolved systems that work perfectly without us even noticing. Like the best technology, our bodies have been designed to handle complex tasks and keep us steady, balanced, and aware. So, next time you’re running, dancing, or playing a sport, remember that your VOR is hard at work, keeping your world stable and in focus. The more we learn about our amazing body, the more we realise how it is a real masterpiece of design and engineering!

Dr Anita Bhandari is a neurotologist and ENT surgeon, author and innovator, and director of NeuroEquilibrium, a network of vertigo & balance disorder clinics. Dr Anushka Bhandari is head of R&D at NeuroEquilibrium.

[Disclaimer: The information provided in the article, including treatment suggestions shared by doctors, is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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