Dizziness with other symptoms – What is behind it?

Depending on the form of dizziness, it is perceived differently by the person affected. In the case of rotary vertigo, the affected persons experience a feeling as if it were rotating within themselves or the environment around them. Vertigo is accompanied by discomfort, as if the ground beneath the feet is being pulled away.

If one has the feeling of riding or even falling in an elevator, it is mostly a case of elevator vertigo. Vertigo attacks are very often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Unsystematic forms of vertigo, such as those associated with circulatory weakness and a drop in blood pressure, are usually accompanied by a “blackening” before the eyes or a feeling of emptiness and dizziness.

Systematic forms of vertigo, such as benign positional vertigo, tend to increase in symptoms when moving in one direction and when closing the eyes. Depending on the trigger of the vertigo, it may be accompanied by a decrease in hearing, the perception of additional ringing in the ears, the seeing of double images, swallowing or speech disorders, and feelings of numbness. Vertigo attacks can be short-lived, i.e. lasting several seconds.

In extreme cases, however, dizziness can persist for several days and thus represent a great strain for those affected. In this case it is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as possible.The most common cause of painful eyes is an unbalanced visual impairment. Due to the constant effort and effort of the eye muscles to compensate the weakness, pain occurs after some time.

In addition, headaches and dizziness may occur in the further course. A visual weakness such as long-sightedness or short-sightedness can be quickly diagnosed by an ophthalmologist or optician and should be corrected with glasses or contact lenses, especially if the symptoms are corresponding. Inflammation or increased intraocular pressure can also cause pain in the eye and, in advanced cases, headaches and dizziness.

If such a cause is suspected, attention should be paid to warm, reddened or swollen areas on the eye. A reddened conjunctiva or a very hard eyeball can also be indications of inflammation or acutely increased intraocular pressure (so-called glaucoma). If the latter could be true, a doctor or an emergency clinic should be consulted, as glaucoma should be treated as soon as possible.

Flickering and dizziness are usually signs of an acute migraine attack. The cause is first a wave of excitation, then a blockage of excitation that spreads through the cerebral cortex. Characteristic of migraine are, among other things, hemiplegic headaches and disturbances of the senses, especially the eyes.

Particularly typical are the so-called flickering scotomas, which are reminiscent of the heat shimmering over an asphalt road in summer. But also the other way round, visual disorders such as flickering of the eyes can cause dizziness in the affected persons. During a medical consultation, it should therefore be determined which of these symptoms was present first and could possibly have caused the other.

A twitching of the eye muscles usually indicates an overload. If the eye twitching is a symptom accompanying that of dizziness, attention should be paid to which symptom occurred first and whether one of the symptoms may have been the consequence of the other. It is also possible that both eye twitching and dizziness are caused by a combination of causes such as overexertion, stress or lack of sleep.

If dizziness with eye twitching occurs frequently, apparently without cause, and if it causes restrictions in the everyday life and suffering of the affected person, a doctor should be consulted for further diagnosis.

In addition to the causes through the eyes, there are many other causes of dizziness. A classic among the forms of vertigo is the so-called benign positional vertigo.
It mainly affects people over the age of 60. This form of vertigo is triggered by a change in the position of the body, for example when turning around in bed from one side to the other. This movement causes small crystalline stones to become loose in the coils of our inner ear, where they cause irritation.

This results in vertigo. Fortunately, this vertigo lasts only a few seconds to minutes. However, if the vertigo persists for a long time, with a tendency to fall to one side and jerky eye movements, it may be an inflammation of the auditory nerve.
A rotational vertigo like “out of the blue” in combination with a hearing loss and ringing in the ears should make one think of Menière’s disease.
This disease of the inner ear causes tiny cracks in the membranes of the ear, which separate two different fluids of the inner ear from each other. Due to their different composition, the mixing of these two substances leads to the above-mentioned symptoms.
Middle ear inflammation, which is particularly common in children, is a complication of the spread of the inflammation in the direction of the inner ear. The resulting irritation of the auditory sensory cells may cause dizziness.
Dizziness can also occur due to circulatory disorders in the area of the cerebral vessels, as may be the case with slowly increasing calcification of the arteries or a sudden stroke.
Feelings of numbness in corresponding parts of the body, speech or visual disturbances are frequent side effects. Dizziness and lightheadedness may be caused by low blood pressure or hypoglycemia. Such circulatory and metabolic dizziness attacks are often accompanied by “blackening” of the eyes and other vegetative symptoms such as cold sweat or paleness.
The abuse of toxic substances, such as alcohol, also leads to an irritation of our sense of balance above a certain amount.
This usually provokes an unpleasant rotational vertigo that can last for several hours. A whole range of certain drugs, such as dehydration tablets or tranquilizers, can also cause dizziness.
It should not be forgotten that the psyche also plays a major role in the sensation of dizziness. Fear or other mental stress situations can cause the so-called psychogenic dizziness.

The first contact person in case of vertigo is usually the family doctor.

If the suspicion of a special illness is confirmed, a referral to a specialist will help. In principle, the physician will be interested in the type of vertigo, its duration, the causes and existing pre-existing conditions. The circumstances of life, possible stressful situations at work or in the family can also be taken into consideration.

Stress can also be a trigger for vertigo attacks. A physical examination is then carried out, including blood pressure and pulse measurement, for example, in order to expose circulatory disorders as dizziness triggers. The movement of the head in different directions and certain positioning maneuvers also serve to diagnose the cause of dizziness.

In addition, a hearing test and an examination of the eyes should also be performed. These can also be the source of dizziness. In addition, skull images, such as an MRI, can be taken to rule out a mass in the brain area with a displacing effect on surrounding brain structures. In vertigo outpatient clinics, which are offered by some practices or clinics, a comprehensive diagnosis of vertigo is offered in cooperation of several specialties.