​Purpose: To assess the comparative effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) versus vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) in enhancing PPPD symptoms and other dimensions of PPPD including mental well-being, sleep quality, fall risk, and overall quality of life.

Methods: A cohort of 42 individuals with PPPD were randomly assigned into 2 groups. The experimental group included 21 participants who received a combination of VR and optokinetic stimulation in addition to VRT, while the control group, also made up of 21 individuals, only received optokinetic stimulation and VRT. We administered the intervention sessions twice weekly over a span of 6 weeks, resulting in a total of 10-intervention sessions. Additionally, baseline, post-intervention, and follow up assessments were conducted to measure the short- and long-term effectiveness of the interventions.

Results: Our analysis revealed that participants within the experimental group exhibited significantly enhanced balance outcomes (P<0.01) upon completion of the intervention compared to their counterparts in the control group. Notably, individuals undergoing VR interventions demonstrated marked improvements across all of the assessed parameters. However, participants in the control group also displayed notable enhancements in select outcome measures post-intervention. All participants maintained significant improvement in the severity of PPPD after 1 year of the intervention.

Conclusions: Researchers have found that using VR interventions with optokinetic stimuli alongside VRT as a cohesive therapeutic program seems like a promising method for ameliorating symptoms associated with PPPD. The utilization of VR goggles was found to be both safe and economically viable for the management of individuals afflicted with PPPD.​