Mother’s face test boosts ‘wobbly eye’ care

CHILDREN suffering from the eye condition nystagmus – which makes the eyes appear to ‘wobble’ – struggle to recognise their own mother, a new study has found.

However, young sufferers have no trouble recognising objects, according to researchers at Southampton Children’s Hospital.

They hope this discovery will pave the way for more accurate tests to diagnose the devastating disorder, which affects about one person in 1,500 in the UK.

Nystagmus tends to strike in childhood and causes involuntary movement of the eyes, making it difficult to see moving objects or perform everyday activities such as playing with toys and friends.

It often affects a child’s education as they struggle to read.

For some, the constant motion of the eyes is so debilitating that they are considered to be legally blind.

The most obvious sign a child has nystagmus is if their eyes move randomly or at speed. They may also have poorer vision and balance problems.

In the new study, children with and without nystagmus were shown a picture of their mother’s face and that of another woman.

Those with healthy vision identified their mother very quickly and spent longer looking at that photo. But those with the condition seemed to struggle to identify their parent – and spent an equal amount of time examining both images.

‘These results indicate children with nystagmus may have specific difficulty recognising faces or adopt different ways of looking at faces – something that’s rarely detected by standard eye tests,’ said study leader Jay Self, a consultant paediatric ophthalmologist.

‘Nystagmus is an extremely complicated condition, therefore testing and diagnosing it has proved very challenging. As a result, we are constantly looking for ways to improve and enhance methods of diagnosis.’

One famous nystagmus sufferer is Richard Osman, presenter of the television game show Pointless.

He admits his eyes are so badly affected that reading an Autocue is impossible.

While there is no cure for nystagmus, glasses can help with reduced vision.

Techniques that reduce stress may also help keep the eyes calm, according to the Nystagmus Network, a support organisation.

Some sufferers find that anxiety, fatigue and illness can make their symptoms worse.