What is nystagmus in children

Brief periods of nystagmus are considered a normal reflex, like when there are sudden changes in position for example, after a roller coaster ride or after spinning.

Congenital nystagmus may affect eyesight, but vision can be improved by glasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Discuss these and other potential treatment options with your doctor. Most cases of acquired nystagmus are treated by dealing with the underlying cause. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you are concerned about nystagmus. May also be called: dancing eyes, rapid eye movements, involuntary eye movements Nystagmus say: ni-STAG-mus is fast, uncontrollable eye movements.

These genes have been found to come in multiple forms of inheritance: dominant, recessive and x-linked. Even if families who with multiple members afflicted with nystagmus, there might be a spectrum of varied degrees of severity among all those afflicted family members. This question cannot be answered without first identifying what type of nystagmus the child has. If it is a congenital sensory nystagmus, then the vision will be impaired and likely poor, but not necessarily because of the nystagmus but rather the underlying cause of the nystagmus.

For instance, a child with bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia or developmentally abnormal optic nerves , the child will have poor vision predominantly due to the abnormality of the optic nerves, not to the subsequent nystagmus.

It is difficult to predict early on what the eventual visual acuity will be for the child with nystagmus. The most helpful approach is performing careful testing that will help identify if there are any other problems with the eyes that could be causing the nystagmus. Children with nystagmus typically see the world similarly to other children, but with some blurriness. The severity of the eye shaking can vary upon where the individual is looking. In other words, a child with nystagmus may notice that the eyes wiggle more when they look to the right, and less when they look to the left.

Because decrease wiggling or eye shaking correlates to improved vision, that child with turn their head to the right to allow them to look to their left more easily. It means they have identified a way in which they can have their best vision. Yes, but rarely. It is usually asymmetric rather than truly being in one eye only. It is also associated with other abnormalities within the brain or visual system and will likely need additional testing such as a brain MRI.

It often looks like the nystagmus is in just one eye. Eye muscle surgery strabismus surgery may be indicated for some individuals with nystagmus. The goal of surgery in most instances is to help alleviate a significantly abnormal head position or to decrease the amplitude of nystagmus.

Surgery can sometimes cause vision improvement but does not fully eliminate nystagmus. Firstly, it depends on the underlying cause of the nystagmus if there is one and treating that condition. For example, if the child has a significant refractive error—or a high prescription requiring glasses—than giving them glasses would be appropriate. Contact lenses can be used in nystagmus and can sometimes have better quality of vision than glasses.

Variable success has been noted with medications used to dampen the severity of nystagmus. Unfortunately, the use of these medications is frequently limited by their side effects, many of which are actually worse than the nystagmus itself.

Unlike children with congenital nystagmus, adults with nystagmus often say that things around them look shaky. The brain controls eye movement. Your eyes move automatically to adjust when you move your head slightly.

This stabilizes the image that you are looking at so you see a sharper image. In people with nystagmus, the areas of the brain that control eye movements do not work properly. In some cases, it is not clear why someone has nystagmus.

In other cases, nystagmus may be related to other eye problems. The main symptom of nystagmus is rapid eye movement that cannot be controlled. Usually the movement is side to side. It can also be up and down or circular. The movement can vary between slow and fast, and it usually happens in both eyes. Nystagmus is diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. They will examine the inside of your eyes and test your vision. Your ophthalmologist will also look for other eye problems that may be related to nystagmus.

One way to see nystagmus is to spin a person around for about 30 seconds, stop and then have them try to stare at an object. If they have nystagmus, their eyes will first move slowly in one direction, then move rapidly in the opposite direction.

Treating nystagmus depends on the cause. People born with nystagmus cannot be cured of this condition. However, they may benefit from glasses or contact lenses.