nystagmus n : involuntary movements of the eyeballs; the presence or absence of nystagmus is used to diagnose a variety of neurological and visual disorders

English

Etymology

First attested in 1798. From nystagmus from etyl grc νυσταγμός from νυστάζω.

Pronunciation

• /nɪ'stægməs/

Noun

1. rapid involuntary eye movement, usually lateral

   • 1970: For months Travis had seen his solitary figure, shoulders hunched inside the flying jacket, in more and more newsreels, as an extra in war films, and then as a patient in an elegant ophthalmic film on nystagmus — JG Ballard, The Atrocity Exhibition

Nystagmus can refer to:

• Pathologic nystagmus
• Physiologic nystagmus