Overshoot and Oscillation in Ocular Dysmetria

A case report of a patient with ocular dysmetria and flutter and an analysis of the oscillations of this patient, who developed myalgia involving the shoulder girdle and abdominal musculature, are reported.

Abstract

Dysmetric motions of the eyes, as defined by Cogan,1appear as brief oscillatory movements after rapid fixation changes. Oscillations can also be observed spontaneously in primary position which are distinguished as ocular flutter. Both conditions occur with lesions of varying etiologies involving the cerebellum or cerebellar pathways in the brain stem. To our knowledge, no detailed analysis of the character of the oscillations has been reported. A case report of a patient with ocular dysmetria and flutter follows, along with an analysis of the oscillations. Report of Case A 34-year-old white man was admitted to the Yale New Haven Medical Center on April 15, 1965. He was in excellent health until four weeks prior to admission when he developed myalgia involving the shoulder girdle and abdominal musculature. The following week he developed horizontal diplopia on lateral gaze and difficulty focusing his eyes. A resting extremity tremor which worsened with