Walsh & Hoyt: Nature and Forms of Congenital Ocular Oscillations

In this section, we review those forms of nystagmus that develop during infancy. Advances have been made with the identification of congenital forms of nystagmus in mutant dogs with abnormal anatomy of the visual system, and in normal monkeys that are deprived of binocular vision during early life. However, although some patients with congenital nystagmus show visual abnormalities, others with similar ocular oscillations do not. Furthermore, the characteristic waveforms, e.g., pendular or jerk, do not specify pathogenesis or indicate whether the congenital nystagmus is associated with visual system anomalies. Thus, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Three distinct syndromes are currently recognized: congenital nystagmus, latent nystagmus, and spasmus nutans.