About the disease

Nystagmus is a condition whereby the eye starts to move involuntary. This condition can be either congenital or acquired. It can lead to vision problems. This condition is also known as “dancing eyes”. In this condition extraocular muscles start to move involuntarily causing the eyes to move as well.

Overall, there are two types of nystagmus: pathological and psychological. The first type can develop as a result of certain diseases, such as congenital disorder of the eye muscles, toxicity as a result of response to certain drugs or alcohol. In case nystagmus appeared as a result of negative reaction to irritants, it usually disappears on its own after the contact with the irritant was terminated. Pathological nystagmus can also develop as a result of disorders of the central nervous system, which caused some abnormal interaction of nerves with the brain. Psychological nystagmus can appear as a result of great distress or shock, it is much more rare than pathological nystagmus.

In some cases nystagmus is accompanied by another condition, known as vertigo. Vertigo is feeling of dizziness and spinning. A person feels that objects around him/her start to move although they don`t and starts to feel dizziness. He/she can also feel nausea and weakness. Usually vertigo can appear with nystagmus in case of disorder of central nervous system.

Strabismus is a condition whereby eyes do not align properly with each other, when focusing on some object. As a result, one eye may be focused properly on the object while the other can be focused in some different direction. Such misalignment can be caused by problems with eye muscles, previous trauma or brain problems. This condition can be either congenital or acquired. It is important to determine the exact cause of strabismus to treat it. Also, misalignment of eyes can be constant or it can come and go.

Symptoms

Symptoms of nystagmus include:

• Involuntary movement of eyes
• Inability to focus eyes on one object for a long period of time

Symptoms of strabismus include:

• Visible misalignment of eyes when they are focusing on object
• Double vision
• Straining eyes when trying to focus on one object
• Farsightedness in some cases

Symptoms of strabismus are manifested in misalignment of the eyes.

Diagnosis

• During the general examination the doctor will examine the eyes of the patient. He can direct the light on the pupil and see if it is centered on the pupil, which normally it is.
• The doctor will check the vision acuity of the patient asking him/her to read the letters and signs and see if he/she can see them clearly from normal distance.
• For nystagmus the air or water can be irrigated into the ear canal to see if semicircular canal is provoked and nystagmus begins to manifest itself. It is the most widely used noninvasive diagnostic method for nystagmus.
• Electronystagmography can also be used. It measures the movement of the eyes and also its electrical responses.
• Strabismus can usually seen during the general examination. The doctor may cover one eye and see if it will be easier for the patient to focus an eye on an object.

Treatment

• In nystagmus it is important to determine the exact cause of involuntary eye movements to stop these movement. Certain drugs can be used to treat the work of central nervous system. Some drugs can be used to calm the muscles in case nystagmus was caused by certain emotional response.
• Surgical treatment with oculomotor muscle retroposition is a surgery used to treat nystagmus so that the movement of the eyes will be voluntary and controllable. This surgery can also be used to treat strabismus to realign the eye`s muscles in the way both eyes focus on the objects in the same direction exactly.

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko