[Oculomotor anomalies from medications]

Abstract

Many medicines, mainly with neurological purpose, interfere with the oculomotricity. The biochemistry of the oculomotor systems and thus, the mechanisms of action of these drug interferences are not completely clarified. Most medicines impair the eye movements at the level of their fine adjustment by feed-back loops implying the cerebellum. Quite often, the interferences remain asymptomatic, restricted to a saccadic pursuit, hypometric saccades or an end-point nystagmus. Sometimes however, symptoms of dizziness or oscillopsia appear, due to loss of the vestibulo-ocular reflexes efficiency. A diplopia or a blurred vision by double outline could be suggestive of an ocular motor paresis or a loss of the binocular fusion due to drugs action.