Downbeat Nystagmus: A Teenager with Downbeat Nystagmus

Abstract

A 17-year-old woman presented for a routine eye exam and was found to have asymptomatic downbeat nystagmus that did not prompt a diagnostic evaluation. Seven years later, she developed constant vertical oscillopsia, which caused difficulty with depth perception, impaired sense of balance, and inability to see clearly. She also developed occasional frontal headaches. Her past medical history included anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which were well controlled using sertraline.