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Control and Functions of Fixational Eye Movements
Michele Rucci1, Martina Poletti2
1Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.
Annual Review of Vision Science
|November 1, 2016
Summary
Fixational eye movements, though microscopic, are crucial for vision. These eye movements help the visual system process fine spatial details by precisely positioning stimuli on the retina.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Humans and other species explore visual scenes using rapid gaze shifts (saccades) approximately 2-3 times per second.
- Microscopic (fixational) eye movements persist even during periods of apparent visual stability between saccades.
- The precise functions of these fixational eye movements during visual information acquisition and processing have been a long-standing debate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent evidence on the visual contributions and control of fixational eye movements.
- To elucidate the role of fixational eye movements in visual processing strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent technical advancements enabling control of retinal stimulation during oculomotor activity.
- Synthesis of emerging evidence from studies investigating fixational eye movements.
Main Results:
- Fixational eye movements are integral to the visual system's strategy for processing fine spatial details.
- These movements facilitate precise stimulus positioning on the retina.
- Fixational eye movements contribute to encoding spatial information within the joint space-time domain.
Conclusions:
- Fixational eye movements are not merely residual activity but active contributors to visual perception.
- Understanding fixational eye movements offers new insights into how the visual system achieves high-resolution spatial processing.
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