Is the geniculostriate system a prerequisite for nystagmus?

ABSTRACT The time of onset of congenital horizontal nystagmus is usually known. We present a group of infants in whom this was determined objectively. In two, vertical nystagmus in the

neonatal period became horizontally directed, at 4 months in one, and between 7 and 9 months of age in the second. Two infants (one an oculocutaneous albino) had no visual response initially

but subsequently developed horizontal nystagmus as the vision improved at 5 and 6 1/2 months: Type III delayed visual maturation. An infant totally blind due to Norrie's disease was

examined in the first week of life but did not develop nystagmus for a further 3 months. Two children with cortical visual impairment never developed nystagmus. In early infancy, vision is

thought to be predominantly subcortical. Therefore the development of nystagmus at a time when the geniculostriate system is emerging functionally (around 3 months), and its absence in

cortical visual impairment, has led us to propose a hypothesis suggesting that a functioning geniculostriate system is a prerequisite for the development of horizontal nystagmus. SIMILAR

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AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Leicester Alistair R Fielder & Nicholas M Evans Authors * Alistair R Fielder View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

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ARTICLE Fielder, A., Evans, N. Is the geniculostriate system a prerequisite for nystagmus?. _Eye_ 2, 628–635 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1988.116 Download citation * Issue Date: 01

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