Cybersickness: Why Do You Feel Dizzy From Scrolling Your Phone?

In our highly digital world, many people experience a peculiar sensation of nausea or lightheadedness while simply checking a social media feed or playing a mobile game. This experience is frequently dismissed as simple tiredness, yet it has a specific medical name: cybersickness.

As reported by Balance and Dizziness Canada, cybersickness is a subset of visually induced dizziness that occurs when viewing moving digital content on devices like smartphones or tablets [1]. It is often referred to as digital motion sickness because it produces the same discomfort as being on a boat or in a moving car, even though your body is sitting perfectly still.

This guide explains the hidden conflict between your eyes and your brain, helps you identify the symptoms, and outlines how a functional approach can restore your visual comfort.

What is Cybersickness? The Conflict Between Seeing and Feeling

Pursuant to the sensory conflict theory, cybersickness happens because of a massive mismatch between what you see and what you feel [1].

When you are rapidly scrolling on a phone, your visual system detects a high volume of movement as text and images fly across the screen. Just as stated in research from PubMed Central, your brain expects your body to be moving to match this visual data [2]. However, your inner ear (vestibular system) and your body (proprioceptive system) report to the brain that you are stationary.

This unresolvable mismatch creates a "prediction error" in the brain. According to the explanation from Healthline, the brain becomes disoriented by these contradictory signals, which trigger the physical symptoms of sickness as a protective response [3].

Common Symptoms Parents & Adults Watch For

Symptoms of cybersickness can vary from a mild "fuzziness" to debilitating nausea. According to clinical reports, parents and adults should be aware of several physical indicators that often arise during or after screen use [3, 4].

• Persistent dizziness or a sensation that the room is still moving after you have looked away from the screen [3].

• Nausea or a "sour stomach" that may escalate to vomiting in severe cases [3].

• Frontal headaches and intense eye strain make it difficult to continue working [3].

• A feeling of disorientation or being "off-balance" when standing up after using a device [1].

• Unexpected sweating or flushing of the face [4].

In the manner of traditional motion sickness, these symptoms can persist for several hours after the digital session has ended [1].

What Causes Cybersickness?

To understand why this happens, we must look at the three systems that manage your balance. In consonance with vestibular science, your brain relies on a constant stream of data from three sources [1, 3].

1. The Visual System. This tells your brain where you are in space and what is moving around you.

2. The Vestibular System. Located in the inner ear, this detects head movement and gravity.

3. The Proprioceptive System. This uses sensors in your muscles and joints to tell the brain if your body is moving or still.

Cybersickness is essentially a "collision" of these systems. Your eyes say "we are moving fast," while your ears and muscles say "we are sitting on the sofa." This contradiction is what leads to lightheadedness and physical distress.

Why Some People Are More Prone To Cybersickness?

While anyone can experience cybersickness, some individuals are significantly more susceptible to it. Pursuant to research, this often points to a pre-existing functional vision barrier that remains undiagnosed during standard eye checks.

In line with optometric findings, you are more prone to cybersickness if you have the following challenges.

• Poor Binocular Vision. If your eyes do not work together as a perfectly matched team, the brain is already working overtime to merge images. Adding digital motion causes the system to collapse.

• Weak Eye Tracking. If your eyes find it challenging to follow the "flow" of text while scrolling, the brain receives jumpy, distorted data.

• Convergence Insufficiency. If your eyes struggle to turn inward to focus on a near screen, the added effort increases the likelihood of nausea and strain.

Just as reported by the Cleveland Clinic, people with a history of concussions or vestibular disorders are also at a higher risk because their balance systems are already sensitive to conflict [4].

What Happens If Cybersickness Is Not Treated?

If left untreated, cybersickness can lead to more than just temporary discomfort. To the degree that the visual system is constantly stressed, the symptoms can become cumulative.

As stated in research from MDPI, oculomotor-related symptoms can accumulate over several days of screen use [5]. This may lead to reduced tolerance for digital devices over time, which can gravely affect your ability to work or learn. Not just that, ongoing sensory conflict and visual strain may also contribute to cognitive fatigue, commonly described as “brain fog,” and a persistent feeling of being "spaced out," as the brain uses up all its energy trying to resolve the sensory mismatch.

How Orthovision Reduce Your Cybersickness

At Orthovision Singapore, we do not believe you should have to simply "live with" dizziness. We treat the root physiological connection between the brain and the eyes.

The Comprehensive Assessment

In accordance with our holistic philosophy, we perform a Developmental Visual Cognitive Assessment. We do not just check your eyesight; we test how your visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems communicate. We specifically look for the "weak links" in tracking and teaming that make you prone to cybersickness.

Functional Vision Therapy

If a challenge is identified, we use a natural, non-surgical programme to strengthen your visual stability.

• ICORE Therapy: This builds the stamina of your eye muscles so they can handle digital motion without fatigue.

• INPP Integration: Uniquely, we screen for retained primitive reflexes that may be sabotaging your balance and coordination.

Our goal is to reduce visual conflict and build a resilient visual system. By retraining the brain to process digital motion efficiently, we help you return to your digital life with comfort and confidence.

If scrolling your phone makes the world spin, it is time to find out why. Book a Functional Vision Assessment at Orthovision Singapore today.

References

[1] Balance and Dizziness Canada. Motion and Cyber Sickness. 

[2] PubMed Central. Mismatch of Visual-Vestibular Information in Virtual Reality. 

[3] Healthline. Cybersickness: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments. 

[4] Cleveland Clinic. Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD): Symptoms & Treatments. 

[5] MDPI. The Onset Threshold of Cybersickness in Constant and Accelerating Optical Flow.