Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

Published on: August 15, 2010

14.9K

Fixational eye movements in passive versus active sustained fixation tasks.

Norick R Bowers1,2, Josselin Gautier1,3, Samantha Lin1,4

  • 1Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Journal of Vision
|October 22, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Active visual tasks improve fixation stability by partially inhibiting microsaccades, leading to longer drift periods and larger corrective saccades. This enhances overall eye movement control during demanding tasks.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy.

Handbook of clinical neurology·2026
Same author

Revealing the benefit of eye motion for acuity under emulated cone loss.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Focusing on color: How the eye chooses which wavelength to see best.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Physiological basis of resolution acuity in vision.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

A discontinuity in motion perception during fixational drift.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Roadmap on advances in visual and physiological optics.

Journal of optics (2010)·2025

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neuroscience
  • Vision Science

Background:

  • Human eye movements, particularly fixational eye movements, are crucial for visual perception.
  • Understanding these movements requires high-speed, accurate imaging tools to reveal their properties and functional roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how different levels of visual task demand affect the landing position and movement of the fixated image on the retina.
  • To quantify the impact of passive versus active visual tasks on fixation stability and eye movement characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) for high-resolution imaging and tracking of retinal image motion.
  • Employed various fixation targets (e.g., Maltese cross, letters) presented during passive and active visual tasks.

More Related Videos

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
07:12

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

597
Eye Tracking During A Complex Aviation Task For Insights Into Information Processing
07:48

Eye Tracking During A Complex Aviation Task For Insights Into Information Processing

Published on: April 4, 2025

686

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

Published on: August 15, 2010

14.9K
Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
07:12

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

597
Eye Tracking During A Complex Aviation Task For Insights Into Information Processing
07:48

Eye Tracking During A Complex Aviation Task For Insights Into Information Processing

Published on: April 4, 2025

686
  • Tracked the precise trajectory of the fixated target's motion over the retina with high spatial (<1 arcmin) and temporal (960 Hz) resolution.

    • Main Results:

    • Active visual tasks led to a partial inhibition of microsaccades compared to passive tasks.
    • Passive tasks resulted in longer drift periods compensated by larger corrective saccades during active tasks.
    • Overall fixation stability was significantly greater (57% on average) during active tasks than during passive tasks.
    • The preferred retinal locus of fixation remained consistent across tasks and did not align with peak cone density.

    Conclusions:

    • Active engagement in visually demanding tasks enhances fixation stability through modulation of eye movement control.
    • The findings highlight the dynamic interplay between visual task demands and the neural control of eye movements.
    • The preferred retinal locus of fixation is task-independent and does not solely rely on the densest cone photoreceptor regions.