Brief intermittent light stimulation disrupts saccadic oculomotor control

Purpose: This study sought to determine the effect of very brief, single and multiple pulses of light on spatial and temporal aspects of saccadic eye movements. Methods: Twelve visually normal, young adult subjects participated in the experiments. Horizontal eye position was monitored as subjects attempted to track target step displacements in the presence of either single or multiple brief flashes of light in the visual field. Results: Three primary findings were observed: (1) increased saccadic latency, (2) increased time for target acquisition and (3) increased initial saccadic error. Conclusion: The present findings suggest the influence of attentional processes and/or visual masking effects on saccadic eye movement control.