Positional and spontaneous nystagmus (8-IML-1)

Nystagmus is an involuntary oscillation of the eyes with a slow eye movement in one direction and a compensatory quick eye movement in the opposite direction to return the eyes to their original position. The slow phase of nystagmus is often generated by asymmetry in the peripheral vestibular system, and generally nystagmus in the horizontal direction dominates although vertical and rotary nystagmus can be seen in certain pathological situations.