Neural Control of Eye Movements

The neural control of eye movements is organized to optimize performance of three general perceptual tasks. One task is to resolve the visual field while we move either by translation or rotation through space (self motion). Our body motion causes the image of the visual field to flow across the retina and reflexive eye movements reduce or stabilize this image motion to improve visual performance. The second task is to resolve objects whose position or motion is independent of the background field (object motion). Eye movements improve visual resolution of individual objects by maintaining alignment of the two foveas with both stationary and moving targets over a broad range of directions and distances of gaze. The third task is to explore space and shift attention from one target location to another. Rapid eye movements place corresponding images on the two foveas as we shift gaze between targets lying in different directions and distances of gaze.