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Aetiology of jerk nystagmus

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Jerk nystagmus is physiological in the following situations:

  • when following a moving object, for example looking out of a train window - this phenomenon is termed optokinetic nystagmus
  • during caloric stimulation of the ear

Certain patterns of jerk nystagmus have a limited differential diagnosis:

  • vertical nystagmus:
    • upbeat vertical nystagmus
    • downbeat vertical nystamus
  • convergence nystagmus

The causes of other pattern of nystagmus are discussed.

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