Stereograveyart

Can really biofeedback help to control the eye movements in a case of nystagmus?

That's what I read once in a paper [1]. In the experiments it described, the subjects with nystagmus used a device that would play a sound in a different way depending on the speed of their eye movement. People new to nystagmus should know that, despite our eyes movement, we do not see things moving, so we do not have a clue about how they move unless we use a device like that mentioned. The device would help the subjects to identify the movement and find strategies to reduce it. The results after some sessions of this auto-training showed a relevant decrease in the eye movement and therefore an increase of the quality of sight.

Seems too good to be true. Why can't we find then this therapy widely used for the treatment of nystagmus? I could only find one ophtalmologist offering it, but never gave a try. Asking a prestigious ophtalmologist and surgeon about all this, he was highly skeptical, claiming the benefits were few and temporary.

Time passed and I realized that with the appearance of computer vision techniques, today is very easy to implement something like the device described in the paper. That way perhaps we can form our own opinion as to whether or not nystagmus can be tamed at will. In my case, I can clearly notice that I see worse when I am stressed (e.g., running to catch the train). In those cases, it could be useful to have a way to recall the mental state you need to switch to that is associated with less eye movement. But, of course, you cannot be the whole day concentrated on keeping the movement low. Or could a disciplined and regular training install a habit that maintains the suggested benefits?

I would like to check all that. And I would like to have the opinion of many people with nystagmus, to have a relevant and objective sample of experiences.