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# Control of eye movements: fixation, saccades, pursuit and gaze centres

- Regulation
- Exam priority: medium

The brain keeps both eyes pointed at the same target: it holds them still, jumps them fast to new targets and lets them follow moving ones.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

Also called: Gaze centres, Medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), Internuclear ophthalmoplegia

**See it in 3D:** [Oculomotor nerve (III)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/oculomotor-nerve/) · [Trochlear nerve (IV)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/trochlear-nerve/) · [Abducens nerve (VI)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/abducens-nerve/) · [Pons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/pons/) · [Midbrain](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/midbrain/) · [Medial rectus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/medial-rectus-muscle/) · [Lateral rectus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-rectus-muscle/)

## Key points

- Horizontal gaze: paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF) → ipsilateral abducens nucleus → lateral rectus, plus interneurons crossing in the contralateral MLF → oculomotor nucleus → medial rectus.
- Vertical gaze is organized in the rostral midbrain (rostral interstitial nucleus of the MLF).
- Frontal eye field (area 8) drives voluntary saccades to the opposite side: a destructive lesion makes the eyes look toward the lesion; a seizure focus drives them away.
- A pontine (PPRF) lesion makes the eyes look away from the lesion, toward the hemiparetic side.
- Internuclear ophthalmoplegia (MLF lesion): the eye on the lesion side fails to adduct on lateral gaze, the other eye shows abducting nystagmus, convergence is spared; bilateral INO in a young adult suggests multiple sclerosis.

## What it is

Eye movements keep the image of interest on both foveas. Fixation holds the eyes on a target, saccades jump them to a new one, smooth pursuit tracks a moving target and the vestibulo-ocular reflex cancels head movement. Cortical and collicular commands converge on brainstem gaze centres, which drive the cranial nerve nuclei of both eyes together through the medial longitudinal fasciculus.

## How it works, step by step

- Fixation: tiny drifts and microsaccades keep the image moving slightly on the cones, so the picture does not fade; corrective flicks re-centre it.
- Saccade: burst neurons in the PPRF (horizontal) or riMLF (vertical) fire a high-frequency pulse that overcomes orbital viscosity.
- A tonic step from the neural integrator (nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, cerebellum) then holds the eye in its new position.
- Both eyes move together because one gaze centre drives the abducens nucleus and, through the MLF, the opposite medial rectus subnucleus.
- Pursuit uses motion signals from MT/MST; the cerebellum matches eye speed to target speed.

## Typical eye-movement values (healthy adult)

| Parameter | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Saccade peak velocity | up to ≈ 500–700 °/s | larger saccades are faster |
| Saccade duration | ≈ 20–100 ms | |
| Saccade latency | ≈ 200 ms | |
| Smooth pursuit, accurate up to | ≈ 30–50 °/s | faster targets need catch-up saccades |

Approximate values for a healthy adult at rest; each laboratory sets its own ranges.

## Regulation

- *+* **Frontal eye fields**: Voluntary saccades to the contralateral side; also suppress reflex saccades so a target can be held.
- *+* **Superior colliculus**: Reflex saccades toward sudden visual, sound or touch stimuli; holds a map that points eyes and head to a location.
- *+* **Parieto-occipital cortex (MT/MST) → pontine nuclei → cerebellum**: Smooth pursuit of a moving target, ipsilateral in direction.
- *+* **Vestibular nuclei (VOR)**: Move the eyes opposite to head rotation so the image stays still.
- *−* **Omnipause neurons (pons)**: Silence saccade burst neurons during fixation; they pause to let each saccade start.
- *+* **Cerebellum (flocculus, vermis)**: Calibrates saccade size and pursuit gain, and holds gaze steady off centre.

## Clinical notes

- Nystagmus has a slow drift and a fast corrective phase and is named by the fast phase; gaze-evoked nystagmus suggests cerebellar, brainstem or drug effects.
- One-and-a-half syndrome (PPRF or abducens nucleus plus adjacent MLF): no horizontal movement in one eye, only abduction in the other.
- Abducens palsy causes horizontal double vision worse on gaze to the affected side; the eye cannot abduct.

## Memory aid

Cortex looks at its opposite side; a dead cortex lets the eyes 'look at the lesion'; a dead pons makes them 'look at the weak arm'.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## On right gaze, the left eye does not adduct and the right eye shows nystagmus; convergence is normal. Where is the lesion?

The left medial longitudinal fasciculus (left internuclear ophthalmoplegia); convergence is spared because it does not use the MLF.

## A large left frontal stroke causes right hemiparesis. Which way do the eyes deviate?

To the left, toward the lesion: the intact right frontal eye field pushes the eyes to the left, unopposed.

## Which brainstem structure generates horizontal saccades?

The paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF), which drives the ipsilateral abducens nucleus.

## Why does a target moving at 100 °/s need saccades to be followed?

Smooth pursuit matches target speed only up to about 30–50 °/s; above that, the eyes lag and catch-up saccades are added.

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## Connections

## See it in 3D 7

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it happens.

- [Oculomotor nerve (III)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/oculomotor-nerve/)
- [Trochlear nerve (IV)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/trochlear-nerve/)
- [Abducens nerve (VI)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/abducens-nerve/)
- [Pons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/pons/)
- [Midbrain](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/midbrain/)
- [Medial rectus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/medial-rectus-muscle/)
- [Lateral rectus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-rectus-muscle/)

## Related topics 5

- [The visual pathway, pupillary reflexes and eye movements](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-visual-pathway-pupillary-reflexes-and-eye-movements/)
- [The vestibular system, tone and posture](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-vestibular-system-tone-and-posture/)
- [Functions of the cerebellum](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/functions-of-the-cerebellum/)
- [Visual processing in the thalamus and cortex: LGN, V1 and the two streams](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/visual-processing-in-the-thalamus-and-cortex-lgn-v1-and-the-two-streams/)
- [Binocular vision and depth perception](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/binocular-vision-and-depth-perception/)

## Related conditions 5

- [Multiple sclerosis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/)
- [Nystagmus](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/nystagmus/)
- [Abducens (sixth) nerve palsy](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/abducens-nerve-palsy/)
- [Oculomotor (third) nerve palsy](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/oculomotor-nerve-palsy/)
- [Brainstem stroke syndromes (Wallenberg and others)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/brainstem-stroke-syndromes/)

[← All of physiology](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/)

Educational physiology content; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. Values are approximate references. No doses are given.

Sources: [Anatomy, Head and Neck, Eye Extraocular Muscles](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519565/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024); [Neuroanatomy, Cranial Nerve 6 (Abducens)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430711/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024); [Multiple Sclerosis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499849/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024); [Nystagmus: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003037.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2024).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/physiology/control-of-eye-movements-fixation-saccades-pursuit-and-gaze-centres/