HEAD AND EYE-MOVEMENTS IN CHILDREN WITH LOW-VISION

Background: Early childhood nystagmus may herald blindness, brain tumo rs, benign idiopathic motor nystagmus or spasmus nutans. Nystagmus uni que to low vision was sought. Methods: Videotapes and head/eye movemen ts of 18 congenitally visually impaired subjects were analyzed. Result s: Nystagmus of congenitally visually impaired subjects was characteri zed as small horizontal or vertical movements superimposed on larger o scillations. Small and large nystagmus movements were of pendular or j erk type. Slow-phase jerk nystagmus had increasing, constant and decre asing velocities. Fast-phase nystagmus changed direction periodically. Pendular nystagmus was out of phase and evolved to jerk nystagmus in two subjects. All subjects displayed head nodding, and one stabilized gaze with head movements. Conclusion: Eye movement recordings allow ch aracterization and differentiation of subjects with nystagmus and low vision from other nystagmus forms.