OSCILLOPSIA: A NEW SYMPTOM COMMONLY OCCURRING IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

A symptom which appears not to have been previously described was observed in a recent study of sixty-two cases of multiple sclerosis. 1 It is common in multiple sclerosis, and yet the first person in whom it was noted and who came to autopsy did not have multiple sclerosis but another disease. The name oscillopsia is suggested for the symptom. Oscillopsia means, literally, oscillating vision. The patient complains that objects seem to move back and forth, to jerk or to wiggle. The oscillation usually occurs only during walking, although occasionally it also manifests itself during fixation of gaze at rest. Most commonly it applies to near and distant objects equally. The motion may be in any direction, although the lateral component is usually the most prominent. It is well known that nystagmus may produce an oscillating visual sensation in persons with conditions of many types and that the same phenomenon