Customer story: Revolutionizing vestibular assessment and rehabilitation services

Equilibrium Audiology in Johannesburg, South Africa, is set to revolutionize their vestibular assessment and rehabilitation services with the Interacoustics' VisualEyes™ software and the Virtualis StaticVR force plates.

In this customer story, clinical audiologist Lara Toni Benigson shares her experiences and hopes for the future.

Equilibrium Audiology is a private practice located in Johannesburg, South Africa, specializing in the assessment and rehabilitation of vestibular disorders. With over 20 years of experience, their mission is to provide comprehensive and high-quality care to patients with balance and hearing issues.

The challenge: Providing accurate diagnostics and rehabilitation

Lara, the owner and clinical audiologist at Equilibrium Audiology, wanted to enhance the level of rehabilitation she was providing to her patients. She sought advanced technology that could offer accurate diagnostics and immersive rehabilitation experiences.

The solution: Interacoustics VisualEyes™ and Virtualis VR

To address these needs, Lara invested in Interacoustics' VisualEyes software and Virtualis StaticVR force plates used together with virtual reality goggles. The equipment is unparalleled to any other equipment she has used; it is easy to use and offers comprehensive data for results interpretation.

Lara is particularly excited about the Virtualis system, which provides an immersive virtual reality environment for vestibular rehabilitation:

"Virtualis is high-tech virtual reality rehabilitation, which allows patients to immerse in an environment that they wouldn't normally have access to. By combining Virtualis with the VisualEyes solution, it really allows for a data-driven approach of diagnostics, assessing, training, and reassessing," Lara shares.

Practical implementation

When using the VisualEyes software, Lara appreciates its ease of use and the support provided by Interacoustics:

"The level of technology is unparalleled. Easy to use, great diagnostic graphs, interpretation, and fantastic support," she says.

The Virtualis system, combined with the static platform, allows for a comprehensive assessment of a patient's balance. It allows for pre-assessment training and post reassessment. In this way, she and her team can see where the patient improves according to the software.

Improving rehabilitation

Lara is optimistic about the impact of these advanced technologies on her practice:

"This really allows us to improve the level of rehabilitation we're giving to our patients. It makes it engaging for patients and exciting for myself as the audiologist and the practitioners that are operating the equipment," she says.

She believes that the engaging and effective treatment sessions, with real-time feedback and data-driven assessments, will lead to quicker recovery times and higher patient satisfaction. For instance, she and her team can track patient progress easier. There are also many modules that allow for simulation of real-life situations which are not always accessible when doing rehabilitation.

Lara hopes that this investment will not only enhance patient care but also contribute to the growth and success of her practice:

"I'm really looking forward to this new era of treating vestibular patients with all this wonderful equipment from Interacoustics," she concludes.

Want to learn more?

To learn more, explore the benefits of our VisualEyes and Virtualis solutions and see how they could fit into your clinical practice.

About the author

Ina Clausen is a Master of Arts (MA) in Journalism, having graduated from the Southern University of Denmark in 2014 and specialized on strategic communication. She has more than 15 years of experience within the realm of journalism and video journalism, holding the position as Video Journalist at Interacoustics A/S since October 2018.