As a general rule:
- peripheral lesions e.g. vestibular damage cause nystagmus away from the side of the lesion
- a central lesion e.g. unilateral cerebellar damage causes nystagmus towards the side of the lesion
Brainstem lesions may cause:
- gaze-dependent horizontal nystagmus
- gaze-dependent vertical jerk nystagmus
Cerebellar disease causes:
- gaze-dependent horizontal nystagmus
- downbeat nystagmus
- related eye movement disorders:
- opsoclonus
- ocular flutter
- ocular dysmetria
Labyrinthine-vestibular lesions cause:
- horizontal nystagmus
- vertical nystagmus
- oblique nystagmus
- torsional nystagmus is common in labyrintine disease
- tinnitus, deafness, vertigo and nausea may be present