RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A study of head and eye movement in spasmus nutans.
JF British Journal of Ophthalmology
JO Br J Ophthalmol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
SP 652
OP 654
DO 10.1136/bjo.60.9.652
VO 60
IS 9
A1 M Gresty
A1 J Leech
A1 M Sanders
A1 H Eggars
YR 1976
UL http://bjo.bmj.com/content/60/9/652.abstract
AB A case of spasmus nutans was studied using objective recordings of head and eye displacement in order to generate a precise description of the ocular oscillations and head nodding and to investigate their interrelationships. The ocularoscillations consisted of 11-Hz sinusoidal convergence movements. The head nodding consisted of a 3-Hz, 3 degrees peak to peak, sinusoidal oscillation in the horizontal plane. The occurrence of the nodding always abolished the ocular oscillation which was replaced by normal compensatory eye movements which assisted visual acuity. The hypothesis is made that the head nodding is not pathological; it is a learned behavioural pattern which permits the patient to nullify the pathological eye movements. In order to test this hypothesis further, objective evidence is required to determine the precise order of appearance of the abnormal head and eye movements in spasmus nutans.