Links
Review article on “Management of nystagmus in children: a review of the literature and current practice in UK specialist services“, published in Eye – the Scientific Journal of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2020.
Overview of the pharmacology treatments of nystagmus.
Nystagmus in Infancy and Childhood
Comprehensive book written by R.W. Hertle & L.F. Dell’Osso that outlines the understanding, evaluation, and treatments of nystagmus in infancy and childhood.
Videos
Pharmacological Treatments for Nystagmus – Dr. Ed Chin, PharmD
Treatment of nystagmus has been proposed to include medical, optical, surgical, and other miscellaneous treatments. Most treatments aim to suppress abnormal eye movement without affecting regular eye movements. Others seek to negate the visual consequences of abnormal eye movements. Choice of treatment depends on the type of nystagmus and its characteristics. Even though some patients will benefit from one treatment approach, others will require a combination of treatments. This presentaƟon will explore the different types of nystagmus and what pharmacological therapy has been beneficial to patients.
Optical and Pharmacological Treatments for Nystagmus
At present, there is no gold standard for the treatment of infantile nystagmus. Various treatments have been suggested including optical, medical, and surgical. However, evidence is mostly limited to case reports and/or case series. There is also disagreement as to how to measure the benefits of treatment. Consequently, there is very little evidence to guide clinicians as to the suitability and efficacy of available treatments. A variety of interventions have been described for nystagmus developing in the first year of life. This talk will focus on non-medical and non-surgical interventions, i.e., optical interventions. The mainstay of optical interventions for nystagmus is the correction of refractive error (namely spectacle and/or contact lens wear). However, other options may include the use of prisms and amblyopia management (either atropine penalization and/or occlusion). This talk aims to summarize the evidence available on the non-surgical treatment options available for the treatment of nystagmus developing in the first year of life.
Approaches to Surgical Options for Nystagmus
There are several different types of surgical procedures that have been used to try to improve vision with nystagmus. In this session, two doctors will provide different perspectives on surgical options for treating nystagmus. Both are actively conducting research to try to find the most effective surgery, and each is exploring different paths. The goal of this session is to provide a broader view of surgical options so that individuals can make informed choices about their own care.
Non-surgical Treatments for Nystagmus
An overview of the literature around many non-surgical treatments that have been recently attempted with Nystagmus patients. She discusses treatments that have been used for both infantile and acquired Nystagmus as well as their reported efficacy as the case may be as well as treatment options weighed against various quality of life criteria. These themes include standing out, restriction of movement, restriction of social movement, feelings about the inner self and self-confidence, thoughts about the future, effect on relationships, and physical impact.
Surgery Options for Nystagmus
Nystagmus comes from “to nod”. In this discussion Dr. Hertle discusses the visual system in patients with Nystagmus. This primer of the visual system is useful for gaining a better foundation for understanding various treatment options. This talk is especially useful for parents to help gain an understanding of the neural-motor system in the brain and how Nystagmus is an inter-related condition and how they work, or sometimes fail to work in tandem.
Vision Therapy for Nystagmus
Many parents of children with Nystagmus ask, “What else can we do?” In this session, Dr. Leung speaks about visual therapy and answers questions about what it is, how it works, why it’s both lauded,, but often mis-understood among patients, parents and the broader visual practitioner community. She discusses various treatment, focusing tasks, and other types of exercises that often employed in the treatment of Nystagmus as well as other conditions.
Flyer
Nystagmus Decoded! Part 1
This webinar includes speakers from India, the UK, and the US (see the flyer). It is primarily aimed at pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists, but covers information useful to all. Part 1 covers various topics related to nystagmus treatments.
Flyer
Nystagmus Decoded! Part 1
This is part 2 of the webinar series, and it includes speakers from around the world – India, Italy, Australia, Turkey, France, the UK, and the US (see the flyer). It is primarily aimed at pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists, but covers information useful to all. Part 2 mainly focusses on managing head pustures.
