Effectiveness of Vestibular Rehabilitation for Oculomotor Symptoms and Disorientation in Individuals With Cybersickness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundCybersickness is characterized by oculomotor symptoms and disorientation during prolonged screen or virtual reality exposure.The effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation for these symptoms remains unclear. MethodsThis two-group randomized controlled trial included 50 adults aged 30-50 years with self-reported cybersickness and more than 12 hours of daily screen exposure.Participants were randomly assigned to a vestibular rehabilitation group (n = 25) or a control group (n = 25).The intervention group performed a structured Cawthorne-Cooksey-based vestibular rehabilitation program for 20 minutes per day, six days per week, for six weeks.The control group received ergonomic and screen-hygiene advice.Oculomotor symptoms and disorientation were assessed using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) at baseline and six weeks. ResultsAll 50 participants completed the study.Baseline SSQ scores were comparable between groups.At six weeks, the vestibular rehabilitation group demonstrated greater reductions in oculomotor symptoms than the control group (11.3 ± 3.7 vs. 4.2 ± 3.3; between-group difference, 7.1 points; 95% CI, 5.3-8.9;p < 0.001).Similarly, disorientation scores decreased more in the vestibular rehabilitation group than in the control group (14.3 ± 5.0 vs. 5.3 ± 4.1; between-group difference, 9.0 points; 95% CI, 6.6-11.4;p < 0.001). ConclusionsA six-week structured vestibular rehabilitation program produced greater reductions in oculomotor symptoms and disorientation associated with cybersickness than ergonomic and screen-hygiene advice alone.These findings support further investigation of vestibular rehabilitation as a nonpharmacological approach for cybersickness.