Nystagmus Intentional

Intentional nystagmus is an involuntary constant movement of the eyeballs with complete preservation of the basic elements of visual function. This is a pathological type of nystagmus. Found in adults and children.

It is typical that the pupils remain wide open, but the eyeballs make amplitude fluctuations in the range from 2 to 80°. Such fluctuations are associated with the state of the brain and are most often hereditary. The exact cause of this type of nystagmus has not been established; it may be associated with damage to brain structures or the autonomic nervous system.

The main symptoms of intentional nystagmus:

• manifestation of eyeball vibrations only in the horizontal plane;

• the time of relapse is the same as with other types of nystagmus, that is, chaotic: in one case - a whole day, in the other - from twenty seconds to ten minutes;

• amplitude eye movements are absent;

* when the eye tissue relaxes, slight fluctuations in the intraocular eyelids are possible;

* It is common for a person to easily cope with attacks, but difficulties arise when looking at a light source.

Nystagmatic tilt can be caused by exposure to a certain irritating force. With a sharp change in lighting, the first stage of nystagmus is observed - nystagmatic lability. It is often caused by a failure of adaptation in the organ of vision. It happens that this is one of the types of defensive reactions. In this case, temporary nervousness of the eye is manifested by prolonged rotation of the eyeball to adapt to external stimuli.

The second stage is called the recurrent nystagmic reflex, and the third, most dangerous, is the polar nystagmic reflex. When the polar nystagmatic reflex appears, the patient fixes his gaze only on an object that is behind him. The eyelid of the affected side is retracted and turned outward as much as possible, the drooping of the eyelid is almost imperceptible. Rapid nystagmatic twitching requires the mandatory prescription of sleeping pills, alcohol and sedatives.