[Pursuit function of the eye during 7-day dry immersion without and with a support stimulator]

A computerized comprehensive investigation of the oculomotor system was performed following dry immersion of 12 human subjects deprived of or provided with support afferentation stimulation. The purpose was to determine effects of weak proprioceptive, tactile and support afferentation on the eye pursuit parameters and significance of the support input for the ocular function. Individual and general characteristics of spontaneous and induced oculomotor reactions were described and effectiveness of the eye tracking correction by stimulation of foot support afferentation during immersion was evaluated. The pursuit function was tested before the experiment (baseline data), in 3 hrs. since the beginning of immersion, on day 5 in immersion, shortly after and on day 3 of the completion of the experiment. The group of subjects without support stimulation exhibited marked omnidirectional deviations in the eye tracking parameters throughout the whole period of the experiment. In the group of subjects provided with support stimulation these parameters were but little different from baseline values. To conclude, a support stimulator stabilized the pursuit function of the eye making it less variant. However, there was no uniformity in the subjects' reaction to stimulation which infers that the methods of improving the eye pursuit function should be personally "molded".