Balance Tests   The hearing and balance mechanisms are connected and sometimes disorders of the hearing system can cause balance or dizziness issues. The tests we employ help us find cause, or causes, or your balance or dizziness problems include:   • Videonystagmography (VNG) VNG testing is considered the new standard for testing vestibular (part of the inner ear) function. We use it to determine if a vestibular disease is causing a balance or dizziness problem. There are neural connections between the balance mechanism in your inner ear to the muscles of your eye. A disorder of the balance mechanism results in small eye jerksthat we can detect using an infra red camera attached to goggles.   • Electronystagmogram (ENG) ENG is an older form of VNG testing. Rather than using goggles and cameras to monitor eye movements, it uses electrodes. VNG is preferred, however, if you have problem tolerating the goggles, or have droopy eyelids, this is the test of choice.   • Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) ABR is a test, usually performed for infants and young children, that evaluates how well sounds travel along the hearing nerve pathways from the ear to the brainstem. The test is reliable, objective and noninvasive. We attach three or four small stickers on your sleeping child's head, connected to leads going into a computer. Brain wave activity in the auditory centers of the brain is then recorded in response to a series of clicks presented to each ear. ABR may be used as a screening procedure for newborns who are at risk for hearing loss.   • Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) The purpose of this test is to determine if the saccule (a sensory organ of the inner ear), as well as the inferior vestibular nerve and central connections, are intact and working normally.   • ECOG Testing (Electrocochelography) Using ECOG, we can test for Meniere's disease (an abnormality of the inner ear that may cause vertigo or severe dizziness, tinnitus or a roaring sound in the ears, fluctuating hearing loss, and pressure or pain in the affected ear).   • Sensory Organization Performance Test (SOPT) We use the SOPT test to assess your ability to balance in several conditions, with your eyes open and your eyes closed. It helps us to determine if your problem involves vision, balance, or the vestibular system (inner ear).   • Dynamic Visual Acuity Tests This test assesses a patient's ability to perceive objects accurately while moving their head; it also tests the ear and eye reflex. A failure to respond appropriately suggests a vestibular (inner ear) problem.   ...life never sounded so good!™