Doctors reverse jumping vision caused by light deprivation

Gradual exposure to light restored vision to a migraine sufferer who developed miner's nystagmus after an extended period of severe light deprivation, reports a team led by UCL experts. Nystagmus is characterized by involuntary eye movements causing jumping and blurred vision, and is sometimes known as wobbly eyes or jerky eyes. Miner's nystagmus is a form that was first recognized in the 1870s in coal miners who spent years working underground, but is much rarer today. The clinical team based at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH, observed a 57-year-old woman who reported having persistent and severe daily throbbing headaches over a period of years. She had associated motion sensitivity and severe phonophobia and photophobia (light sensitivity), requiring her to wear a mask over her eyes to prevent exposure to light when outdoors. While she was able to eventually control her migraines with medication, she started to develop oscillopsia (jumping vision). She acknowledged that she had been living in continuous darkness for almost two years; her home was completely blacked out, with only a small camping light set to nocturnal settings for illumination.