Nystagmus in children during sensitive periods of vision development can lead to delayed vision development and increasingly poor vision. Adults with nystagmus usually have poorer vision, but generally do not continue to experience vision loss.
Nystagmus is an involuntary, rhythmic fluttering of the eyes that occurs due to genetic or other damage to the visual nervous system. The patient is unable to see clearly because of the shaking of the eyeballs. For children at a critical stage of visual development, the abnormal visual experience caused by nystagmus hinders visual development and vision may deteriorate.
Adult patients with nystagmus generally have poorer vision, and may also have compensatory head position with symptoms such as tilting of the head and tilting of the neck, etc. However, the patient’s vision is generally more stable and will not deteriorate further.
Patients with nystagmus are advised to seek prompt medical attention to evaluate their condition and follow the doctor’s instructions to choose the appropriate treatment.