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Eye Care Archive  (Expert Forum)
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Nystagmus
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Nystagmus

by young at heart, Oct 25, 2006 12:00AM
Can you tell me what this means?Just seen an ENT for balance test ENG/VNG.All test were normal except for the ocular motor test.Latency was fine but the velocity was severlly delayed.
It states that the patient has abnormalties with ocularmotor movements with delayed saccades and very jerky pendulum swing.
I do have a problem with moving my eyes to the left.Any insight would be appreciated

by Forum-OD-MP, Oct 25, 2006 12:00AM
well, nystagmus is a neurological problem in which the eyes "jerk" back and forth (or rarely up & down).  most people with nystagmus were born with it (congenital nystagmus) and they therefore usually have poor retinal development and poor vision.  congenital nystagmus is the result of poor formation of or damage to the part of the brain responsible for controlling eye movement.

AQUIRED nystagmus would be someone who was not born with nystagmus, but rather gets it later in life.  it could have many causes: brain tumor, virus, aneurysm, MS, trauma (car accidents, etc), stroke, etc etc.  anything that could DAMAGE the part of the brain associated with eye movements.

nystagmus itself is not all that dangerous.  its not like it'll blind you or anything.  but rather, nystagmus is clinical sign that you have some kind of damage to the portion of your brain that controls your eye movements.
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