Objective: Cochlear receptors are sensitive to vibratory stimuli. Based on this sensibility, bone-anchored hearing aids have been introduced to correct unilateral or bilateral conductive or mixed hearing loss and unilateral deafness. The vestibular system is also sensitive to the vibratory stimulus and this type of response is used in clinics to test its functionality. Being aware of this double separated sensibility, we wondered whether bone vibration, which activates the acoustic receptors of patients with bone conduction aids, can also influence the functionality of the vestibular system. Methods: To this end, we recruited 12 patients with a bone-anchored hearing aid and evaluated their vestibular function with and without an activated vibratory acoustic device. Results: Our results show that the vibratory stimulus delivered by the bone conduction aid also reaches and stimulates the vestibular receptors; this stimulation is evidenced by the appearance or modification of some nystagmus findings during bedside vestibular testing. Despite this, none of these patients complained of dizziness or vertigo during prosthesis use. Nystagmus that appeared or changed during acoustic vibratory stimulation through the prosthesis was almost all predominantly horizontal, unidirectional with respect to gaze or body position, inhibited by fixation, and most often consistent with vestibular function tests indicating peripheral vestibular damage. Conclusions: The findings of sound-evoked nystagmus seem to indicate peripheral rather than central vestibular activation. The occurrence of some predominantly horizontal and high-frequency induced nystagmus seems to attribute the response mainly to the utricle and lateral semicircular canal.

Background: To evaluate the short-term effects of a dietary supplement containing curcumin, bromelain, glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, sodium hyaluronate, type II collagen, and vitamin C on symptomatic vitreous floaters (SVFs) following Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. Methods: Forty eyes with SVFs on the first postoperative day were randomized into a control group (standard topical therapy, n = 20) and a treatment group (oral supplement plus standard therapy, n = 20). Outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), and subjective scores from a non-standardized questionnaire on floater perception (QS1), interference with daily activities (QS2), and foreign body sensation (QS3). Objective evaluation was performed using two novel ultrasound-based methods: mean number of vitreous peaks (MVP) from A-scans and mean grey intensity (MGI) from B-scan images processed with ImageJ. Results: At 2 months, the treatment group showed greater improvement in CS (Δ = 0.26 LogCS, CI, 0.14–0.38; p < 0.01), QS1 (Δ = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.60–1.60; p < 0.01), QS2 (Δ = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.40–1.40; p < 0.01), QS3 (Δ = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.44–1.36; p < 0.01), MVP (Δ = 1.10; 95% CI, 0.60–1.60; p < 0.01), and MGI (Δ = 12.89 units; 95% CI, 7.84–17.93; p < 0.01). BCVA was comparable between groups (p = 0.478). Conclusions: Short-term dietary supplementation with vitreous-specific nutrients is well tolerated and associated with improvements in reducing SVFs and foreign body sensations after Nd:YAG capsulotomy and may represent a promising non-invasive therapeutic option.