Do the Blind Get Seasick ?

[hpeer]

I often hear that seasickness is due to a disconnect between the visual senses and those of the inner ear. If that is correct why don't you get relief by shutting your eyes? Or, do the blind get seasick?

This came up in a discussion with my Wife over her reaction to a illusion at the Ripley museum in St. Austine, Fl. In this illusion you are to walk across a approximate 20' bridge inside a spinning tube. The tube is pretty dark but there are 'stars' painted on it. As I went through my field of vision took over and I could feel myself being flung off the bridge. I had to hang on to make my way across. My Wife just walked across with almost no effect.

She gets seasick and I don't.

It all seems pretty counter-intuitive to me.

Any idea of what is going on here?

[PamlicoTraveler]

Love the question... I'm sure blind people do get seasick though.

[zeta]

Don't know; but some powerboaters may chime in, as I've seen tons of them at the helm.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by zeta

Don't know; but some powerboaters may chime in, as I've seen tons of them at the helm.

ROFL.....

[callmecrazy]

You would think that if you can see the waves, the boat rocking, the horizon bouncing, etc.. then there would be no visual disconnect from what the inner ear is 'feeling'.

The one time I was seasick (on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico), I was told to watch the shoreline for a while, since it's 'level'. it worked... So again, I'm watching something static, but my body continues to rock, and yet the seasickness went away (somewhat).

So maybe the whole visual disconnect thing is not accurate...

It's all in the mind really. The most common way to defeat seasickness, is to take the helm, or otherwise do something that keeps you busy, and therefore, keeps you're mind off the impending doom.

[CarlF]

Well, here's another "Why not try it?" product. Water filled glasses that give a constant level...

Who knows? They might work. It might also get some odd looks at the gas dock.

Home - Boardingring : motion sickness solution

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

You would think that if you can see the waves, the boat rocking, the horizon bouncing, etc.. then there would be no visual disconnect from what the inner ear is 'feeling'.

The one time I was seasick (on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico), I was told to watch the shoreline for a while, since it's 'level'. it worked... So again, I'm watching something static, but my body continues to rock, and yet the seasickness went away (somewhat).

So maybe the whole visual disconnect thing is not accurate...

It's all in the mind really. The most common way to defeat seasickness, is to take the helm, or otherwise do something that keeps you busy, and therefore, keeps you're mind off the impending doom.

The only time I got seasick we were anchored in rough seas (committee boat for a race). And boy did I get sick. Looking at the horizon only delayed the inevitable.

I don't think it's quite so simple as what you see vs. what you feel.

I thought I was being very smart and thorough in my preparations to move aboard. In my condo, I put clothes in three plastic bins -- just an arbitrary limit. If I wanted to wear something that wasn't in the bins, I had to take something OUT of the bins permanently. I even put an ice chest in the kitchen and stopped using the refrigerator! -- Really.

But you know what I didn't think about? I didn't think about how people get seasick much more often in the cabin than on deck. oops.

Well, fortunately, I adjusted very well. I was very aware of the boat rocking at first, but I loved it. It was like falling asleep on a fast-moving train. They rock, too.

Now I tune the rocking out. How is that possible? Sometimes I have to catch myself with an overhead handhold, but I'm not consciously aware that the boat had moved.

I miss the rocking. I actually wish for storms, but for some reason it rarely storms here. They'll be all around us but it's like the area around this marina has a deflecting shield over it. Hmmm... you suppose that would work for hurricanes?

[sailcruiser]

I'm sure some do but not all. There are many blind sailors. (and I do me sightless not foolish!) I guess like everything else the answer is it depends on the individual. SC

[SaltyMonkey]

OT: I've read the deaf don't get seasick

[zeta]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

OT: I've read the deaf don't get seasick

That's because they can't hear their wives bitching.

[hpeer]

Interesting, it reports the eye-ear connection. But does not address blindness.


Can Deaf People Become Seasick? | My ASL Journey

Can Deaf People Become Seasick?

Posted on March 19, 2011 by orangejack
One becomes seasick (or any type of motion sickness) when the eyes and the inner-ear’s sense of balance are in conflict. Part of the function of the inner-ear, or vestibular system (which includes the cochlea), is to understand ones balance. So what happens if the vestibular system isn’t working? Can one then become seasick?
The US Navy ran an experiment in the 1960′s where they put a few Deaf men with damaged vestibular systems in a window-less galley of a ship in the middle of a horrendous storm off of Newfoundland. As the ship tossed, the Deaf men sat at a table and played cards. Meanwhile, every Naval scientist became seasick. The Deaf men never fell ill.
So can the Deaf become seasick?
Well, yes and no. The truth is not all Deaf people have a damaged vestibular system. However, of the Deaf that do not have that sense of balance that the inner-ear provides, it seems indeed they can not become seasick!

[savoir]

Seasickness comes from the ears not the eyes. If your body has never had visual input you could still get seasick. The worst place for a sighted person to get seasick is down below where there is little to see. You can still get seasick with your eyes closed in somewhere nasty like an engine room.

Not sure about the deaf.

[Wotname]

Maybe the key to seasickness is in this quote (from above):

However, of the Deaf that do not have that sense of balance that the inner-ear provides, it seems indeed they can not become seasick!

Drink enough <enter alcohol of choice> until one loses their sense of balance and hey presto, no more Mal de Mer.

[barnakiel]

It is in the inner ear, not in the eye. Blind people get seasick.

[zeehag]

ok now the cat in the lower p0arts of the boat --doesnt see the horizon and is still seasick .... tell the cat is a visual thing.....

not my current kat-- previous ones in way long past...bubba doesnt get seasick even in big seas he can see....