Definition- Pursuits are slow movements which consist of the eye tracking a moving target. Linda Sanet, COVT describes them as "holding movements" whose purpose is to hold the object of regard still on the fovea. Due to the slower speed of a pursuit movement there is a certain amount of voluntary control where correction can be made during the movement unlike a saccade. Symptoms/Characteristics of a Pursuit Dysfunction-
Therapy- One of the great things I find about training accurate and efficient pursuits is that there is generally not a lot of equipment necessary. A patient can work on just watching his/her finger or I often use a penlight with a monster topper. Typically I will begin working laterally, then vertically once the patient is successful rotations such as circles and a smooth sideways figure eight. An example of this can be found in the video below using just a playing card as the target. Once the patient is smooth in all directions I begin asking questions (adding cognitive demand) which give me feedback as to how well developed the pursuit movement is. If it stops or pauses while the patient in answering the questions the movement is not yet well developed or automatic. Below is an interesting article from the Journal of Vision - ARVO about eye movements and perception that may be worth a read... The assignment that goes along with this topic is as follows:
In the comments below please state your definition of pursuits, the signs and symptoms (your own list) when deficient and detailed instruction for one therapy activity you use to address difficulty with pursuit eye movements. Please be as descriptive as possible for the benefit of the group and if you have any links or resources to share please feel free to do so here.
5 Comments
Shannon Sires
11/7/2016 02:30:51 pm
A pursuit is the ability to maintain fixation on a moving object.
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11/8/2016 05:02:46 pm
Pursuits are one of the basic eye movements needed for an efficient visual system. They are characterized by a smooth movement of the eye with a given target maintained on the fovea. Pursuits occur both monocularly and binocularly.
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11/10/2016 05:04:49 pm
Pursuits are slow and controlled movements of the eye while tracking an object in space.
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Lisa Folch
11/11/2016 05:09:37 pm
Definition of Pursuits: "Slow tracking movements of the eyes designed to keep a moving stimulus on the fovea."
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11/13/2016 04:44:57 pm
Pursuits
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