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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
Published on: February 8, 2020
Fixational ocular motor control is plastic despite visual deprivation.
1Department of Vision Sciences, State University of New York State College of Optometry, New York, New York, USA. ehall@cns.nyu.edu
Visual Neuroscience
|January 4, 2003
Summary
Blind adults can improve eye stability using auditory feedback, demonstrating gaze control plasticity. This voluntary control is enhanced by prior visual experience and inversely related to blindness duration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Human voluntary fixational eye movements are crucial for clear vision.
- The impact of chronic visual deprivation on eye movement control plasticity is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the plasticity of voluntary fixational eye movement control in blind adults.
- To investigate the relationship between visual experience, blindness duration, and eye movement stability.
Main Methods:
- Infrared-based recordings of horizontal eye movements were used.
- Auditory ocular motor feedback was applied during fixation tasks.
- Eye movement stability was compared before, during, and after feedback periods.
Main Results:
- Eleven of twelve blind adults showed increased eye stability with auditory feedback.
- Improved eye stability correlated positively with prior visual experience.
- Improved eye stability showed an inverse relationship with the duration of blindness.
Conclusions:
- Blind adults can utilize nonvisual feedback to enhance gaze stability.
- The fixational eye movement system retains voluntary control capabilities despite chronic visual deprivation.
- Cortical and subcortical mechanisms may underlie this observed plasticity.
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