What is Nystagmus?
Nystagmus is a condition that affects the eye. It presents with uncontrollable rapid and involuntary eye movements. These movements can occur from side to side, up to down, or in a circular pattern. During periods of involuntary eye movement, individuals may experience temporary impairment of their vision and depth perception, these movements may also affect their balance and coordination.
While an eye condition, Nystagmus is caused when a part of the brain, or inner ear, which controls the movement and positioning of the eye doesn’t function properly.
While there is no one cure for the condition there are some steps affected individuals can take to ease the symptoms. These include corrective lenses, to correct any reduced vision, as well as the option of specific medicines which might ease the condition in adulthood. Congenital Nystagmus, and people born with the condition generally have few options if any for treatment.
Understanding eye-related symptoms and features
Symptoms may affect multiple parts of the body. Understanding which part of the body a symptom affects, can help us to better understand the potential underlying causes of a symptom, including a rare disease or genetic syndrome.
The eye is a part of the ocular and vision systems of the body. The ocular system includes the eye and its central vision system (cornea, lens, eye fluids), all of the parts which make vision possible.
Symptoms affecting the eyes may be congenital, present at birth, or they may develop later in life. Sometimes surgery may be an option to correct them.
Symptoms relating to the eyes may affect their structure and function including their ability to see, other times they may simply affect the shape or appearance of the eye without any impact on vision.
What should I do next?
In some instances, involuntary eye movements may be one of the features of a rare disease or genetic syndrome. To find out if someone with Nystagmus, may be due to a genetic syndrome, it is important to have a consultation and evaluation with a clinical genetic specialist. Specialists may also suggest specific genetic testing or other types of tests to help reach a diagnosis. FDNA’s AI technology can help speed up the diagnostic process by analyzing facial features and other health information.