How come when you close your eyes, you lose your balance?

[YogSosoth]

Knowing that balance is controlled by stuff in your inner ear, I find it odd that whenever I'm trying to balance and close my eyes, it becomes really really hard. I have a theory on that, but don't know if its right. My thinking is that when you have your eyes open, you subtlely correct your body's movements by adjusting your body against a fixed position, and that you do this whether or not you are conscious of it. When you have your eyes closed, there is nothing but darkness to correct your position, so you lose your balance.

[picunurse]

Being unable to maintain balance with closed eyes is not normal

See your healthcare provider.

[Giles]

It's not just your inner ear that helps you keep balanced with closed eyes: it's also the pressure on your feet. To keep upright, you try to keep left and right, and front and back, balanced in pressure.

[Superfluous Parentheses]

I'm not giving out medical advice, and it does seem strange to me that you can't balance well with your eyes closed, but visual cues do play a fairly important part in balancing. Anyone who's been below decks on a ship in rough weather can tell you that - it's much easier to maintain balance on a tilting platform when you can see the horizon.

[janeslogin]

I cannot do some common neurological tests with my eyes closed. Neurologist have a word for it and it is in my records so doctors don't ask me to do those tests.

I have often wondered what I should say if stopped by a cop and asked to do some of those silly have-you-been-drinking tests.

[Squink]

Originally Posted by picunurse

Being unable to maintain balance with closed eyes is not normal

Yes, and when you have some darn bug infesting your inner ear, and you have to rely on visual cues for balance, it takes up a hellish fraction of your total processing power to reject the ear's bad information and use the good stuff from the eyes.

[KarlGauss]

Assuming the cerebellum* is intact, you need at least two of the following three things to keep your balance:

1. vision
2. intact vestibular apparatus (in the inner ear; basically a set of gyroscopes)
3. proprioception (awareness of the position and angles of your joints)

In the Romberg test, you close your eyes thus removing vision from the list. If either your vestibular apparatus or proprioception isn't working, you'll fall over.

Someone who falls over after closing their eyes, has done their own, positive Romberg test.

To help understand the good link above, I'll note that proprioception nerve impulses travel up the spinal cord in the so-called 'dorsal columns' (the back side of the cord). Disease or damage there, causes loss of proprioception.

*that separate part of the brain which, among other things, fine tunes all motor (muscle) activity and movement.

[Spud]

Damn... all these real answers make my "cuz you're drunk" answer seem a little shallow.

[Lok]

Originally Posted by picunurse

Being unable to maintain balance with closed eyes is not normal

See your healthcare provider.

Originally Posted by Superfluous Parentheses

I'm not giving out medical advice, and it does seem strange to me that you can't balance well with your eyes closed, but visual cues do play a fairly important part in balancing. Anyone who's been below decks on a ship in rough weather can tell you that - it's much easier to maintain balance on a tilting platform when you can see the horizon.

Originally Posted by Squink

Yes, and when you have some darn bug infesting your inner ear, and you have to rely on visual cues for balance, it takes up a hellish fraction of your total processing power to reject the ear's bad information and use the good stuff from the eyes.

And I am going to agree with all three of these. Especially the first one. (And be prepared for some really wonderful tests of your inner ear and balance.) It took me 3 months to learn how to walk properly again, although that was mostly because the damage had progressed so far I was too dizzy to stand even with my eyes open.

As Squink says, it takes a lot of processing power to make up for bad or no information from your inner ear. I can easily tell when I am getting overly stressed or too tired these days, because I start stuttering, then the aphasia kicks in, then I have problems standing. This can make job interviews a real fun experience. If I ever get pulled over for DUI, I would have to insist on breathalyser or a blood test, because I can't pass most of the physical tests unless I have been practicing them.

[aruvqan]

Originally Posted by Squink

Yes, and when you have some darn bug infesting your inner ear, and you have to rely on visual cues for balance, it takes up a hellish fraction of your total processing power to reject the ear's bad information and use the good stuff from the eyes.

meh, I have had vestibular disfunction for decades ... it got me out of a lot of gym classes. I had way too many serious ear infections as a sprog. I just try not to close my eyes when I need to remain upright =)

I also always have bed swirlies even if I have not been drinking. I like bed swirlies =) I have been told that I would be perfect in space. I have no real defined up and down in my sensing organs, i rely on visual cues =)

[Lok]

Yes, but it sounds like you literally grew up with it. When you have went 40+ years with things working correctly, having to retrain parts of your brain to handle it suddenly is not easy. The longer I go like this, the easier it gets, but that is relative to when it first started.

[imfloating]

I've had inner ear problems for the past 8 years. I now use mostly my eyes for balance. I've become quite used to it, but seem to stagger and sway when walking the dogs at night when there aren't as many visual cues

[PoorYorick]

Originally Posted by aruvqan

I have been told that I would be perfect in space. I have no real defined up and down in my sensing organs, i rely on visual cues =)

I had a facial nerve infection (much fun) that jumped over and also kicked the hell out of my vesibular nerve. Although I can't walk with my eyes closed any more, I discovered that I no longer get nauseous when I read in a moving car.

Hey, one door closes, another opens, and all that jazz.