Unilateral pursuit-induced congenital nystagmus

Kelly, B. J. MD
Rosenberg, M. L. MD
Zee, D. S. MD
Optican, L. M. PhD

Departments of Neurology, Naval Hospital Bethesda and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda (Dr. Kelly)
Section of Neuroophthalmology, Departments of Neurology and Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda (Dr. Rosenberg)
Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (Dr. Zee)
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. (Dr. Optican)

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Rosenberg, Department of Neurology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814–4799.

Received November 30, 1987. Accepted for publication in final form September 28, 1988.

Neurology 39(3):p 414-416, March 1989.

Article abstract

We describe two patients with a lifelong history of oscillopsia only when following objects moving toward their left side. Neurologic examination was normal except for eye movements. The patients showed nystagmus during any tasks that required visual following toward the left (ie, smooth pursuit, optokinetic nystagmus, and vestibulo-ocular-reflex-suppression), but had no nystagmus during fixation of stationary targets or visual following tasks to the right. Eye-movement recordings showed waveforms during pursuit to the left that were typical of congenital nystagmus.