Mervyn smiles for the camera.

Thank you, Mervyn

Nystagmus can be challenging to diagnose in children and often the level of sight loss a newly diagnosed child will experience is unclear, leading to significant anxiety for parents who fear their child will develop severe visual impairment.

Thanks to the work of Dr Melvyn Thomas and the research team at the University of Leicester there is now a validated method of predicting prognosis in children and infants with infantile nystagmus.

This development answers the question most parents of newly diagnosed babies have: How well will my child be able to see?

This year has been a difficult year for us all, but Giving makes us feel Good! #GiveBack2020 is your chance to take something positive from 2020 and make a difference at the same time!

Please volunteer, fundraise or make a donation to the Nystagmus Network for #GiveBack2020  

Fundraise for the Nystagmus Network here

Contact us here to volunteer

Please make a donation here

THANK YOU

A woman holds her head in her hands and appears o be in some discomfort.

Living with Acquired Nystagmus and Oscillopsia?

The Nystagmus Network runs a virtual support group where people living with Acquired Nystagmus and/or Oscillopsia chat together on email and on zoom to share their experiences and try to find answers together.

If you’re living with AN or oscillopsia and would like to join the group, you’d be most welcome. 

At our recent virtual Open Day we were lucky enough to be joined by Professor Chris Harris, a leading UK expert in AN and oscillopsia at the Royal Eye Infirmary, Plymouth. Chris recorded a presentation for us, which you can view here and then took part in a live Q+A session with our group on 3 October.

Since then we have continued to reach out to more people living with AN and Oscillopsia so that we can support Chris in his research endeavours. We are gathering a sizeable ‘patient’ group together and are collating meaningful data on causes, symptoms, treatments (conventional and alternative therapies, helpful or otherwise) and evidence of the effects of these conditions on general wellbeing, including mental health.

We are also writing up and recording your stories and drafting a questionnaire to help us collect even more information.

All of this will enable Chris to strengthen his applications for further funding for research into these debilitating and often life-changing conditions.

If you would like to be included in invitations to all future zoom get togethers for people living with Acquired Nystagmus and Oscillopsia, please contact us here.

At our most recent online meeting we were joined by people with experience of new drug and surgical treatments.

Our next call will be in January when we will share an update on the work we have done so far in our evidence gathering.

If you would like to join our virtual AN support group, please contact us here and we will be happy to introduce you.

Please do help us with this exciting new project. We look forward to having you with us.

The fingers crossed logo of the National Lottery Community Fund

Thank you to National Lottery players

Please click image to play video.

Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, the Nystagmus Network is in receipt of a further grant to support the work of the charity.

This welcome additional funding is enabling us to continue delivering support and information services to the nystagmus community, albeit virtually.

Charity staff are busier than ever answering enquiries by phone, email and on social media and now host monthly zoom get togethers for people living with congenital or acquired nystagmus and parents of children and young people.

There’s no need to feel anxious, alone or uninformed. We’re still here for you thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund.

#CommunitiesCan

Find out more about our virtual get togethers here

In the video, Nystagmus Network Chairman, Tim, thanks National Lottery players and the nystagmus Community.

The banner of Ecclesiastical Insurance. There is a pile of 12 Christmas presents and the words 12 days of giving, please noimate us and help us win and Ecclesiastical.

Please nominate the Nystagmus Network

Please nominate the Nystagmus Network to win a £1,000 Christmas bonus as part of Ecclesiastical Insurance’s annual 12 days of giving festive campaign.

Ecclesiastical will be awarding £1,000 to 12 charities in 12 days this December. Please help us be one of them.

Nominations are open now until 21 December.

£1,000 would pay for nystagmus information leaflets in hospitals across the UK.

Orange button

Chris Harris sits behind a microphone and prepares to speak.

Do you have Acquired Nystagmus or Oscillopsia?

We need you!

The Nystagmus Network is supporting Professor Chris Harris and his team at the Royal Eye Hospital, Plymouth to investigate further Acquired Nystagmus and Oscillopsia.

If you have either or both, we’d love to hear from you. You can help us develop a further research study into these complex, life changing conditions.

We can also offer you support.

Please contact us today

Watch a video message from Chris here

Join our AN Facebook group here

An image shwoing the Nystagmus Network eye logo and the words Nystagmus Network Acquired Nystagmus and Oscillopsia Facebook Group, call 01427 718093, www.nystagmusnet.org
A screenshot from the website of Geldards LLP and the words SEND with a COVID-19 pandemic

SEND within a COVID-19 pandemic

In his presentation for the Nystagmus Network virtual Open Day 2020, Kevin McManamon, Senior Associate, Educational Team, Geldards LLP sets out the current position of SEND support in schools in England and Wales.

To view Kevin’s and all the other presentations, please register here

The logo of the Instagram account @NystagmusYouth. A blue circle with the Nystagmus Network eye logo and a heart shaped pupil in the centre of the iris.

Nystagmus Network launches Nystagmus Youth

As part of the Nystagmus Network virtual Open day 2020 and as a new initiative to get younger people involved with the Network, the charity is creating a new online community for young people living with nystagmus. 

This community begins on Instagram and is a place for young adults and teens to share their stories, read about others with nystagmus and feel empowered about their lives.

They can get top tips, access useful content that is shared with the main Network and see funny and relatable posts.

Mainly, they can find out about other people their age growing up with nystagmus and see that they are part of a huge community.

There will be regular posts to share events as well as interactive stories for you to ask questions and get answers from experts and your peers.

It’s an accessible place for everyone.

Please do share this with any young people you know, follow us at @NystagmusYouth and message us if you’d like to be involved in sharing your own story.

This account was set up by two Nystagmus Network volunteers: Ahrian Taylor and Jaina Patel.

Follow @NystagmusYouth here

A group of parents and Nystagmus Network volunteers.

Come along to the forum

As part of the Nystagmus Network virtual Open Day 2020 we will be hosting a series of zoom chats on Saturday 3 October.

For parents

There will be a virtual parents’ forum at 2pm. Share experiences, make new friends. This session will be led by Marie Travers, herself the parent of a child with nystagmus. 

Please contact us to join. 

For adults with congenital nystagmus

There will be a virtual adults’ forum for people living with congenital nystagmus at 3pm. Meet others, make new friends, share experiences. This session will be led by Daniel Williams, an expert in accessible employment who himself lives with sight loss.

Please contact us to join. 

For adults with acquired nystagmus

Professor Chris Harris from the Royal Eye Infirmary, Plymouth will be answering your questions on Acquired Nystagmus and Oscillopsia at the virtual adults’ forum for people living with acquired nystagmus at 4pm. 

Please contact us to join. 

a screen sot of the presentation by Jayshree and Sarah.

Visiting a High Street Optometrist

What happens when you’re discharged from the hospital eye clinic and need to visit an optician’s on the High Street?

Can staff on the High Street really support you with your sight if you have nystagmus? Can they prescribe the right glasses or contact lenses for you?

In their presentation for the Nystagmus Network virtual Open Day 2020, Optometrist, Sarah Arnold and Dispensing Optician, Jayshree Vasani answer these and many more of your questions about the services available at your local optician’s.

Register here to view all Open Day presentations

A cartoon image of a man made of marshmallow

Sometimes we all need more marshmallows

In her presentation for the Nystagmus Network virtual Open Day 2020, Alison Blackman QTVI will talk about resilience and how to boost it.

Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity, reduce stress and bounce back from setbacks. In her presentation, Alison explains how to boost resilience in young people with nystagmus.

She talks about the need we all feel from time to time to have an extra layer of padding around us to keep us feeling confident and protected.

Find out how you can help a young person with nystagmus feel more like marshmallow man.

Register to see all Open Day presentations here