The morbidity of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) was investigated from the functional standpoint by analyzing nystagmus elicited by the caloric test. As a result of an investigation of the three (horizontal, vertical and torsional) components of the nystagmus elicited by the caloric stimulus (cold water), the vertical nystagmus differed in direction between the left and the right ea...

Although technologic advances have permitted quantitative insights into nystagmus analysis, the clinician should not be daunted. Many useful, often diagnostic, observations can be made by physical examination alone. Figures 1 and 2 are examples of one convenient method of diagramming nystagmus. Also, nystagmus can be further described when the globes are inspected under slit-lamp magnification ...

Medial medullary infarction is characterized by contralateral paralysis of the arm and leg, contralateral loss of position and vibration sense, and an ipsilateral paralysis of the tongue. Rarely, upbeat nystagmus has been described. Bowtie nystagmus, which refers to oblique upbeat nystagmus with horizontal quick phases that alternate from right to left, has been reported in association with tob...

Rhythmic movements of the upper eyelids are infrequent manifestations of brain-stem disease. Gowers (1879) noted the close coordination between movements of the upper lids and eyeballs in vertical nystagmus. He attributed this coordinated movement to the natural synkinesis of the levator palpebrae superioris and superior rectus muscles; this clinical observation was later verified electrophysio...

The assessment of a child with nystagmus involves first of all ensuring that the observed eye movement disturbance is genuine nystagmus rather than one of the stimulating disorders, particularly opsoclonus. Rather than a rhythmic to and fro oscillation as seen in nystagmus, children with opsoclonus demonstrate bursts of rapid (saccadic) eye movements that are multidirectional (horizontal, obliq...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to quantify and compare the effects of simulated horizontal nystagmus on pattern-reversal and pattern-onset visual evoked potentials (VEPs). METHODS In eight visually normal subjects with normal oculomotor behaviour, we monitored eye movements and recorded pattern-reversal and pattern-onset VEPs from occipital electrodes. Subjects viewed the stimulus monocul...

Suppression of congenital nystagmus by eyelid closure was studied by electrooculography in four cases under various conditions in order to elucidate whether the suppression is caused by blocking of fixation or not. The nystagmus persisted in the light as well as in the dark provided that the eyes were kept open. Frenzel's glasses did not suppress the nystagmus except for one case in whom jerky ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS To identify aspects of daily living affected by nystagmus. METHODS Semistructured interviews were conducted at the University of Leicester, UK with participants with acquired and infantile nystagmus. In total 21, participants were purposively sampled and recruited. Transcript analysis was conducted using constant comparative technique, based upon the grounded theory, to identi...

It is widely debated whether fast phases of the reflexive optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) share properties with another class of fast eye movements, visually guided saccades. Conclusions drawn from previous studies were complicated by the fact that a subject's task influences the exact type of OKN: stare vs. look nystagmus. With our current study we set out to determine in the same subjects the exa...

Objectives At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to: 1. Name the principal neurotransmitters thought to be important for eye movement control. 2. Cite side effects of medications commonly used to treat nystagmus, including gabapentin, baclofen and clonazepam, and types of nystagmus they have been shown to benefit. 3. Identify three nystagmus-causing conditions for which d...