Conditions Associated With Congenital Nystagmus: The 4 A's

There are many different eye conditions that are associated with congenital nystagmus; theoretically, any bilateral visually-significant pathology present at birth or in infancy during the critical period of visual development may interfere with the development of stable fixation (1).  Eventually I'll get around to discussing the finer points of nystagmus; but for now, I'm sticking to some basic study stuff.

Here's a little mnemonic that I used to help me remember some of the conditions associated with congenital nystagmus, the 4 A's:

  • Leber's congenital Amaurosis
  • Aniridia
  • Achromatopsia
  • Albinism

Keep in mind that these are not the only conditions associated with congenital nystagmus!

References and Additional Reading

  1. Dell'Osso LF, Daroff RB.  Chapter 11:  Nystagmus and Saccadic Intrusions and Oscillations.  In:  Duane's Ophthalmology on CD-ROM, 2006 Ed.  Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006.

Do you have other suggestions for how to remember conditions associated with congenital nystagmus?  Leave a comment or contact us!