HGN

The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, or HGN, test is the last in the series of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests used by the police to determine whether you are intoxicated. However, this test is different from the other two in that you cannot control your performance and you are often unaware when you are “failing.”

During the HGN test, the officer will ask you to follow an object, such as a pen or a finger, with your eyes while keeping your head still. The officer will be looking for an involuntary jerking of your eye that is supposed to indicate that you are drunk. While the police have enough faith in this as a sobriety test, there are actually a host of other reasons for the presence of this spasm, from the common to the rare:

1. Problems With The Inner Ear Labyrinth
2. Irrigating The Ears With Warm Or Cold Water Under Peculiar Weather Conditions
3. Influenza
4. Streptococcus Infection
5. Vertigo
6. Measles
7. Syphilis
8. Arteriosclerosis
9. Muscular Dystrophy
10. Multiple Sclerosis
11. Korchaff’s Syndrome
12. Brain Hemorrhage
13. Epilepsy
14. Hypertension
15. Motion Sickness
16. Sunstroke
17. Eyestrain
18. Eye Muscle Fatigue
19. Glaucoma
20. Changes In Atmospheric Pressure
21. Consumption Of Excessive Amounts Of Caffeine
22. Excessive Exposure To Nicotine
23. Aspirin
24. Circadian Rhythms
25. Acute Trauma To The Head
26. Chronic Trauma To The Head
27. Some Prescription Drugs, Tranquilizers, Pain Medications, Anti-Convulsants
28. Barbiturates
29. Disorders Of The Vestibular Apparatus And Brain Stem
30. Cerebellum Dysfunction
31. Heredity
32. Diet
33. Toxins
34. Exposure To Solvents, PCB’s, Dry-Cleaning Fumes, Carbon Monoxide
35. Extreme Chilling
36. Lesions
37. Continuous Movement Of The Visual Field Past The Eyes
38. Antihistamine Use

If you have been charged with an Ohio DUI after performing the HGN sobriety test, call our offices today. Columbus DUI attorney Peter Binning is well-versed on the “science” behind these sobriety tests and is uniquely qualified to defend against them in court. Don’t hesitate; call today!