Ian Purcell MD PhD Monali Patel MD Otoneurology Call 858 223 2172
Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic testing

Epley Omniax Chair

Computer-assisted multi-axis positioning used for difficult or atypical positional vertigo cases.

At a glance

What it does
Finds and treats positional vertigo (BPPV), including hard-to-treat cases
How long
About 30 to 60 minutes
Preparation
Light meal only, no eye makeup, and a ride home if you tend to feel unsteady
How it feels
Brief vertigo in some positions, a sign the crystals are moving
Epley Omniax repositioning chair
Epley Omniax repositioning chair
Epley Omniax eye tracking software
Epley Omniax eye tracking software

What the chair helps treat

The Epley Omniax Chair allows precise patient positioning for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and more complex canalith cases. It can be especially useful when symptoms are severe, recurrent, hard to localize, or difficult to treat with standard bedside maneuvers.

How it supports diagnosis

The chair can move through controlled planes while eye movements are observed or recorded. This helps the clinician identify the involved canal and select an appropriate repositioning maneuver.

What to expect

  1. You sit in a padded chair and are secured with a harness, lap belt, and leg supports.
  2. Video goggles record your eye movements throughout.
  3. The motorized chair turns and tilts your whole body through set positions, fully around if needed, while the clinician watches for nystagmus.
  4. Once the affected canal is identified, the chair moves you through the matching repositioning maneuver.

How to prepare

  • Eat only a light meal in the few hours before your visit.
  • Don't wear eye makeup. Mascara and eyeliner interfere with the video goggles.
  • If your clinician agrees, avoid anti-dizziness and anti-nausea medicines, such as meclizine, for 48 hours beforehand. They can hide the eye movements the test looks for.
  • Tell the team about neck or back problems, recent surgery, heart conditions, or anything that limits how you can be positioned.
  • Wear comfortable clothing, and consider arranging a ride home in case you feel off-balance afterward.

These are general guidelines. When your test is scheduled, our office will confirm the instructions for your visit. Never stop a prescribed medication without first asking the clinician who prescribed it.

After the test

Mild unsteadiness or queasiness can last for a few hours and occasionally a day or two. Your clinician will tell you whether any precautions or home exercises are needed and when to follow up. Some patients need more than one session, especially when more than one canal is involved.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo: brief spinning set off by changes in head position, caused by loose crystals in the inner ear.CupulolithiasisCupulolithiasis is a form of BPPV in which crystal debris sticks to the cupula of a semicircular canal, causing positional vertigo with longer-lasting eye movements than typical BPPV.NystagmusNystagmus is an involuntary, rhythmic movement of the eyes. Its direction and pattern help show whether dizziness comes from the inner ear or the brain.BPPV characterization chartsCanalithiasis and cupulolithiasis characterization charts for head-neutral and head-down testing, with nystagmus pattern lookup and Epley Omniax treatment protocols.Epley treatment maneuversThe Epley Maneuver is designed to relocate displaced otoliths (tiny calcium carbonate crystals) from the semicircular canals back to the utricle of the inner ear, where…

Further reading