The Effect of Four-Week Vestibular Exercises on Postural Control, Risk of Falling, and Quality of Life in Visually-Impaired Individuals

Background: Blindness is associated with difficulty in balance control and the quality of life; accordingly, this population experiences more instability than healthy individuals. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of vestibular exercises on postural control, the risk of falling, and the quality of life in visually-impaired individuals. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and a control group design. In total, 24 men with visual impairment were randomly divided into the control and experimental groups. Moreover, the experimental group performed 50-minute vestibular exercises for 4 weeks of 3 sessions per week. The Biodex Balance System, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Sf-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to respectively evaluate postural control, risk of falling, and quality of life in the samples, before and after conducting the exercise intervention. Univariate and Paired Samples t-test were used to determine the differences between the study groups. Results: The current study results suggested that vestibular exercises improve balance and the quality of life, and decrease the risk of falling in visually-impaired people. Besides, there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores in the experimental group. However, no significant difference was observed in the control group in the mentioned variables. The Univariate analysis results indicated that the experimental group demonstrated more effects on balance, risk of falling, and quality of life, compared to the control group. Conclusion: Vestibular exercises significantly improved postural control and quality of life, and decreased the risk of falling in the studied subjects. It is recommended that these exercises be included in the rehabilitation program for visually-impaired individuals.