Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus; terms at a glance

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Dayton DUI Attorney Charles M. Rowland is the only attorney in Ohio to hold certification in Forensic Sobriety Assessment and he has been trained in the administration and evaluation of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in the same methods that law enforcement officers are trained to use.  Because of this training he is qualified to challenge the administration of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test at a motion to suppress hearing or at your DUI trial.  The HGN is a test of your eyes wherein the testing officer is looking for abnormal movements call saccades.  These movements make the eye appear to bounce or wobble.  The officer uses this movement to make a correlation to alcohol use.  Listed below, however, are some other scientifically recognized causes of nystagmus.

Nystagmus Terms at a Glance

Vestibular nystagmus: caused by movement or action in the vestibu1ar system (inner ear); four kinds: rotational, post-rotational, caloric and positional alcohol

Rotational nystagmus: occurs when a person is spun around

Post-rotational nystagmus: occurs when a person stops spiruring around

Caloric nystagmus: occurs when liquids of varying temperatures are put in opposing ear canals

Positional Alcohol Nystagmus: caused when alcohol alters the specific gravity of the blood versus the vestibular fluid

Neurological nystagmus: consisting of optokinetic, physiological and gaze nystagmus

Optokinetic nystagmus: occurs when eyes fixate on objects that suddenly move or when eyes view sharply contrasting images

Physiological nystagmus: naturally occurring to avoid eye strain; normally too subtle to observe

Gaze nystagmus: occurs when a person’s eyes move from a center position; three types: horizontal, vertical and resting

Contact Dayton DUI Defense Attorney Charles M. Rowland II at (937)318-1DUI or visit www.DaytonDUI.com.