The term gaze is frequently used in
physiology to describe coordinated motion of the eyes and neck. The lateral gaze is controlled by the
paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF).
The vertical gaze is controlled by the
and the
interstitial nucleus of Cajal.
Conjugate gaze
The ''conjugate gaze'' is the motion of both eyes in the same direction at the same time, and
conjugate gaze palsy refers to an impairment of this function. The conjugate gaze is controlled by four different mechanisms:
* the
saccadic system
A saccade ( , French for ''jerk'') is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation in the same direction.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishi ...
that allows for voluntary direction of the gaze
* the
pursuit system
In the scientific study of vision, smooth pursuit describes a type of eye movement in which the eyes remain fixated on a moving object. It is one of two ways that visual animals can voluntarily shift gaze, the other being saccadic eye movemen ...
that allows the subject to follow a moving object
*
nystagmus which includes both vestibular nystagmus and optokinetic nystagmus. The vestibular system restores gaze in compensation for the rotation of the head whereas the
optokinetic system
The optokinetic response is a combination of a slow-phase and fast-phase eye movements. It is seen when an individual tracks (pursuit movement) a moving object with their eyes, which then moves out of the field of vision, a point at which their ...
restores gaze despite movements of the outside world.
* the
vestibulo-ocular reflex system (VOR system) that corrects for the movements of the head to preserve the stable visual image of the world
References
External links
* http://www.med.yale.edu/caim/cnerves/cn6/cn6_8.html
*
{{Visual system
Eye
Neurophysiology