When I found out my daughter had nystagmus at the age of six months.

I observed she did not respond or focus properly whenever I called her name or with different musical instruments. She was unable to control her eye movements. Her eyes travel up and down, side to side. After visiting so many doctors and treatments this is all what I have come to know about this all.

Nystagmus could be inherited from your parents or brought on by another medical condition. Glasses, contact lenses, or in rare cases surgery can be used to address the issue.

 When you have nystagmus, your eyes move quickly, repeatedly, and uncontrollably. These movements can be up and down (vertical nystagmus), side to side (horizontal nystagmus), or in a circle (rotary nystagmus). You may experience issues with your vision, depth perception, balance, and coordination as a result of these eye movements.

There are two types of Nystagmus : 

Congenital nystagmus : 

Between the ages of six weeks and three months, symptoms in infants with this illness begin to appear.

. Congenital nystagmus is a form of nystagmus that is present from birth.

. Sometimes it is passed down from parents to children, albeit the precise reason why isn't always known.

. Congenital nystagmus in children typically affects both eyes.

. Vision blurring is the primary symptom.

Acquired nystagmus : 

Acquired nystagmus, as opposed to congenital nystagmus, appears later in life. Usually, medicines or an underlying medical issue are to blame for the disorder. The vision of adults who have acquired nystagmus is described as "shaky."

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES :

One or both eyes may be affected by nystagmus symptoms. Some of the most typical red flags include:

. Involuntary eye movement

. Hazy or shaky vision

. Balance issues

. Dizziness

. Sensitivity to light

. Issues with seeing at night

You might hold your head tilted or turned if you have nystagmus. When you can't maintain a steady gaze, this helps you focus better and makes things appear clearer. Your eye movement is controlled by your brain.

Your eyes adapt themselves naturally as your head moves. This makes the image more stable and improves your vision. The parts of the brain that regulate eye movements malfunction in people with nystagmus.

How is nystagmus diagnosed? : 

Your ophthalmologist may run a number of other nystagmus tests, including:

. A neurological examination.

. Eye-movement recordings.

. Imaging tests, such as CT Scan or MRI, to capture pictures of your brain.

Treatment :

Glasses or contact lenses

Medications

Eye muscle surgery

Vision correction surgery

Depending on the reason, nystagmus can be treated.

Nystagmus cannot be treated in people who are born with it. They might, however, benefit from wearing glasses or contact lenses.

Nystagmus is not resolved by them, but better vision may help reduce it. Rarely, eye muscles that move the eyes may need to be surgically realigned. This reduces the amount of head rotation required to stop the eyes from moving. Nystagmus cannot be cured or corrected through surgery. Just keeping one's head in a more relaxed position enables one to reduce eye movement. Acquired nystagmus may occasionally disappear. If the nystagmus-causing disease is addressed, this occurs.

All I can do is to just make sure that she wear her glasses regularly. Whenever she walk and find it difficult to focus, train her to stop , try to focus properly. Try to walk slowly so that she can get over any obstacle in the way . Be careful while running as after continuous running she is unable to focus and can not see things clearly and bumped into anything which comes suddenly in her way. We have to accept what is done and how to live with this safely!

Regards

Ambreen Javed