Nystagmus Optokinetic

Optokinetic nystagmus is one of the types of nystagmus that occurs as a result of irritation of visual receptors by light or movement of an object. This neurological disease is associated with disruption of the visual system and is accompanied by oscillatory eye movements.

Optokinetic nystagmus can manifest itself differently depending on the degree of damage to the visual pathways and brain centers. One option is chaotic convulsive movement of the eyeballs when concentrating on a moving object. This reaction is caused by a disconnection between the visual and motor nerve centers when certain areas of the visual and motor centers of the brain are damaged.

Often, a nystagmus-like effect occurs when trying to shift the gaze from a close object that is in motion to a distant stationary object and vice versa. In this case, nerve impulses formed in the central vestibular receptor of the retina conflict with information from the optic nerve.

Nystagmus is a long continuous movement of the eyeballs from side to side, which can be either voluntary or involuntary. Also, nystagmus can have various causes: circulatory disorders, impaired functioning of the nervous system, hypothyroidism, myasthenia gravis.

Nystagmus is called optokinetic if its appearance is associated with the visual perception of an object and a change in head position. A person can experience such a physiological state while inside a moving vehicle. For example, such reactions will be observed when the head moves quickly while riding on a swing.