IN ORDER to find a satisfactory explanation for the signs and symptoms observed in a case of latent nystagmus, the literature on the subject has been surveyed and has been found not only wanting but with many contradictions. Kestenbaum1 stated that the mechanism and genesis of latent nystagmus are still controversial and indefinite, while Duke-Elder2 called the explanations of various authors quite hypothetical. According to Esters,3 the cause of the phenomenon is unknown. The purpose of this report is not to offer another theory to the many already advanced but, rather, to attempt to integrate and coordinate them for a better understanding of this interesting phenomenon, exemplified by a case following head injury.
There seems to be no doubt that latent nystagmus is a disturbance or perversion of the normal mechanism of extraocular muscle tonus, fixation and conjugate ocular movements. It is equally evident that, while many