An approach to Nystagmus management

When it comes to a patient presenting with nystagmus there are a few issues that come into consideration. The main issues are whether the nystagmus is sensory or motor, whether it is the cause or the effect of vision problem, whether to investigate or not and whether to treat or not. To know whether the nystagmus is sensory or motor we should know the range of vision impairment, if associated diurnal changes, if progressive or stable and the presence of other associated symptoms like photophobia or oculo-digital sign, etc. Once the sensory causes have been addressed then comes the issue of actually treating the nystagmus per se. Treatment of nystagmus actually only implies improving the major two effects of nystagmus namely abnormal head posture due to the presence of a null zone and improvement in vision due to the frequency of the nystagmus. So, all the modalities of treatment address these two aspects.