Nystagmus in Children

Nystagmus is a medical condition that affects a child's eyes. It causes involuntary movements, resulting in a loss of vision that varies from mild to severe. One type of nystagmus appears early in life and the other type occurs after an injury or onset of another disorder after the first year of life. Treatments for this condition vary depending on the type and severity of the disorder.

Definition

• Nystagmus is a medical condition that causes the eye to move back and forth, up and down, or in a circular motion. Many children with nystagmus have other vision problems and need special assistance in order to be successful. If your child also suffers from stabismus, he may have difficulty with daily activities such as running and may be prone to tripping. Stabismus is a condition where the eye wanders when looking at a certain object.

Types

• According to an article in Vision Enhancement Journal, there are 45 different nystagmus patterns that are generally broken down into two types: congenital nystagmus (CN) or latent/manifest latent nystagmus (LMLN).

  Congenital nystagmus is usually discovered around the child's sixth to eighth week of life and is accompanied by a loss of vision. Latent/manifest latent nystagmus is also known as acquired nystagmus, which means it is a type of nystagmus that is discovered later in life.

Causes

• According to Vision Enhancement Journal, the cause of congenital nystagmus in 80 percent of children is related to another disease that they have, such as albinism, optic nerve hypoplasia, cataracts or retinopathy due to prematurity. In the remaining cases, it accompanies a mild vision loss with no other medical conditions. The condition can also be inherited, so tell your health care provider if your family has a history of nystagmus.

  Latent/manifest latent nystagmus or acquired nystagmus is usually caused by an accident or an illness related to motor function such as multiple sclerosis. It can also be caused by a brain tumor or from a head injury.

  It is also possible that your child may be taking a medication that is causing the nystagmus, especially medicines given to stop seizures. Give your health care professional a list of all medications that your child is taking.

Treatments

• Treatment of nystagmus may include glasses or contacts to correct other vision deficiencies, prisms, medications or surgery. Prisms are helpful for congenital nystagmus.

  A variety of medications are used to decrease the severity of the condition. Depending on the exact source of the nystagmus, muscle relaxants such as Baclofen and anticonvulsants such as Neurontin may be used. Some surgical procedures correct problems that are causing the nystagmus while others aim at reducing the nystagmus.

Helping Your Child

• The best way you can help your child is to be aware of her condition and its limitations. Once your child enters school, you can help him by making sure that appropriate accommodations are made based on your child's vision. For example, your child may need preferential seating, enlarged textbooks or other adaptive equipment. Also, make sure your child is not expected to share a book with another child; children with nystagmus have difficulty sharing books because of their inability to focus, which can put undue strain on their eyes.

  By understanding your child's condition, you can help her grow up successful and confident.