Therapy | Nystagmus

Therapy

First of all, the cause of a nystagmus should be determined. In benign positioning vertigo, which is caused by hardening of the otoliths, falling and throwing exercises are very helpful and often lead to an improvement in symptoms after only a few applications. If the cause of a nystagmus is unclear, an MRI or CT scan should always be performed to rule out injuries or damage to the brain stem.

Treatment options for nystagmus caused by bleeding and/or stroke are very limited. Sometimes nystagmus can also be caused by defective vision. If some points cannot be fixed correctly, the eye tries to collect different points.

This is then reflected in a nystagmus.In the case of ametropia and nystagmus, prismatic glasses can be used to try to remove the nystagmus. Consistent wearing of the glasses is necessary. There are also some drugs that can be used to treat the nystagmus.

These include the drugs gabapentin and memantine. Gabapentin has been used mainly for the treatment of nerve pain. Memantine is used today in the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Why and to what extent these drugs lead to this effect is not entirely clear. In the case of a nystagmus that leads to severe nausea and vomiting, the accompanying symptoms should be treated in any case, even if this does not lead to the nystagmus being stopped. Drugs such as MCP or Vomex can already provide significant relief.

Nystagmus in multiple sclerosis

Nystagmus of various degrees of severity is also very common in multiple sclerosis. It is very similar to congenital nystagmus. The cause is largely unknown. However, it is suspected that there is a connection between the nystagmus and the inflammation of the optic nerve, which is also very common in MS. The nystagmus in MS can be of varying degrees and, if mild, can cause no symptoms at all, but it can also be so severe that it can lead to nausea, severe dizziness and vomiting.