Nystagmus Impairs Vision, Identifies Causes and How to Overcome It

Nystagmus is an uncontrolled eye movement, in the form of up and down movements, turning or left and right. This can occur from birth, but some are experiencing nystagmus due to certain medical conditions. Apart from eye movement disorders, other symptoms may also occur in nystagmus sufferers. Like blurred or blurred vision, sensitive to light stimulation (feeling glare) and difficult to see in the dark. Not infrequently, sufferers also feel dizzy and place their feet like shaking or moving.

Various Causes of Nystagmus

The existence of disturbances in the workings of nerves and parts of the brain that regulate eye movements are indeed a major cause of nystagmus. However, there are several other things that are often related to the occurrence of nystagmus over time:

• Impaired development of the ability to control eye movements since birth
• Suffer from a disease that attacks the central nervous system
• Affected by cataract since birth (congenital cataract)
• Having eye refraction problems such as nearsightedness or astigmatism
• Suffered from multiple sclerosis
• History of head injury
• Experiencing albinism
• Disorders of the inner ear, such as Meniere's disease
• Head injury
• Consume alcohol or drugs
• Suffering from stroke, generally experienced by parents
• Take certain medications such as anti-seizure medications for epilepsy.

If nystagmus occurs, immediately visit an ophthalmologist to get the right treatment. Ophthalmologists will usually conduct an eye examination while digging up information about the medical history suffered (related to the disease), the history of treatment that has been or is being undertaken, and environmental conditions that may be the cause of problems with vision.

Treat Nystagmus Correctly

The handling of nystagmus will be adjusted accordingly. In people who have nystagmus since birth or because of heredity, your doctor may recommend the use of glasses, contact lenses, or increased light around the house. Generally with this effort, nystagmus is expected to decrease by itself without additional treatment. But in more severe conditions, your doctor may suggest a tenotomy operation to change the position of the muscles that control eye movements. Although unable to treat nystagmus as a whole, but this action can help improve vision. For sufferers of nystagmus due to consumption of certain drugs, the doctor will suggest to stop or replace with other drugs. If nystagmus is caused by alcohol consumption, the doctor will ask that alcohol consumption be stopped. The doctor may also administer special drugs to help overcome vision problems or treat the underlying cause of nystagmus.