What is Nystagmus?
Nystagmus comes from the Greek word “nmstagmos” referring to the wobbly head movements of an inebriated or a sleepy person. The involuntary and rhythmic side to side, up and down or circular movement of the eyes is known as nystagmus. It can appear at birth or immediately after birth (congential nystagmus) or can cause and develop later in life (acquired nystagmus).
What are the Symptoms of Nystagmus?
Some common symptoms of nystagus are — pendulum like side-to-side eye movement, up and down eye movement, circular eye movement, impairment in depth perception, vertigo or dizziness, reduced eye sight, etc.
In nystagmus, one generally feels comfortable looking from a ‘null point’ where eye movement is reduced and vision is improved.
What Causes Nystagmus?
Congenital nystagmus can develop because of vision loss before birth or problem with the visual pathway. Some type of nystagmus can also be genetic. Acquired nystagmus can develop because of neurological dysfunction such as head injury, multiple sclerosis, pituitary tumor, etc. Medications such as Dilantin, Phenobarbital can also cause nystagmus.
What are the Treatments Available for Nystagmus?
Congenital nystagmus can be corrected by engaging a child in games that allows him to follow a moving object such as a moving car or a helicopter.
Wearing glasses may not be of much help because nystagmus generally affects the ocular nerves instead of the eye. However, it is suggested that by adding prisms to the eyewear one can improve visual convergence that may reduce nystagmus to an extent.
Sometimes surgery is opted for to change the position of muscles that moves the eye. This can cut down the degree of rotation of the head to try to see well.
