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Factors Influencing the Experience of Oscillopsia in Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome

From the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

PURPOSE. Perceptual instability in infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) has been reported occasionally. This study was conducted to examine the factors that influence perceptual stability in 18 individuals with INS.

METHODS. The subjects were instructed to look continuously at a fixation LED centered in an image (38° x 32°) at two luminance levels (3.25 and 0.46 cd/m², with 21% and 96% contrast, respectively) throughout all trials. A trial consisted of the fixation LED on, followed by a peripheral LED on, and then both LEDs off. Subjects then reported what they perceived. Five trials were conducted per contrast image. Eye movements were recorded with a limbal tracker. After testing, each subject completed a questionnaire to determine whether they ever had or were presently experiencing oscillopsia.

RESULTS. Sixteen of 18 subjects reported experiencing oscillopsia on the questionnaire. In the laboratory, the percentages of trials with perceptions of motion of the LED and background were as follows: neither, 45% to 60%; background only, 15% to 30%; both, 15%; and LED only, 10%. Over all trials, 14/18 and 13/17 subjects experienced oscillopsia for the low- and high-contrast images, respectively (i.e., four subjects never experienced oscillopsia). The background was frequently seen moving when both images were displayed, regardless of contrast and/or condition. Trials with and without oscillopsia did not differ between the foveation periods.

CONCLUSIONS. Subjects with INS may experience spatially inhomogeneous oscillopsia under certain viewing conditions. The physical attributes of the stimulus, repeated trials, different conduction times, and the role of divided attention may influence a subject’s perception differently.