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vestibulo-ocular reflex
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vestibulo-ocular reflex

nervous system
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Also known as: VOR
Written by
Michael Land
Emeritus professor of neurobiology, Sussex Vision Laboratory, Sussex Centre for Neuroscience, University of Sussex, Brighton, England.
Michael Land
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vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), eye movement that functions to stabilize gaze by countering movement of the head. In VOR the semicircular canals of the inner ear measure rotation of the head and provide a signal for the oculomotor nuclei of the brainstem, which innervate the eye muscles. The muscles counter-rotate the eyes in such a way that a rightward head rotation causes an equal leftward rotation of both eyes, with the result that gaze direction stays stationary.

VOR works in conjunction with the optokinetic reflex (OKR), which is a feedback mechanism that ensures that the eye moves in the same direction and at almost the same speed as an image. Together, VOR and OKR keep the image stationary on the retina, with VOR compensating for fast movements and OKR for slower ones.

Michael Land