Hi. I went away for a few days to a resort in uk. I stupidly decided to have a go on the virtual reality headset. Within seconds I found myself falling to the right. The machine was removed immediately but it feels like it has ‘scrambled’ my brain. For several hours I was unable to sit upright. Four days later, I am still more fatigued than usual, I stutter over words and my spatial awareness progress feels like I’ve gone backwards . Has this happened to anyone else? I feel like my brain is trying to reset. Does this make sense? I had a stroke last August.
I’m writing this as a warning to others too. It seemed such a harmless fun thing to do.
VR is used for stroke rehabilitation in some physio environments, it may be specific to your symptoms that caused it to affect you adversely. I have acute cognitive visual-spatial disturbance and have played my son’s PlayStation Oculus VR without any negative effects. Were you nervous about trying it? When your gait went off balance , did you panic? Sometimes, fear or worry can worsen symptoms. I had a dizzy spell last year while using my computer, thought I’d had another stroke as the text on screen started whirling and my eyesight went blurred, consequently, I checked in for an MRI but no further stroke was apparent. It did, however, make me nervous of using my computer for about six months, unnecessarily so. It could be that your brain wasn’t expecting such a visual challenge and is a little bit startled. It might need more time to come to grips with actual physical space. Strangely, soon after stroke, I could sit in a car as it whizzed along without any ill-effects, yet walking made me giddy, other stroke survivors had reported that being in a car made them feel giddy. So, it may not be for your brain.
I have never tried it but I suspect it was probably too much gor your brain right now. You never know until you try these things. I know if doesn’t take much to upset my already dodgy balance.
VR headsets for home Rehab are being tested at UCL for balance issues (I know because I’m one of their guinea pigs). It’s being done under supervision because of the impact on your brain/balance when you use it and for relatively short periods of time. I’m sure it will be a useful asset eventually, but won’t be for everyone.