title: Suppression of the oculocephalic reflex (doll's eyes phenomenon) in normal full-term babies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the precise age of suppression of the oculocephalic reflex in infants and its relationship to specific clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The oculocephalic reflex was prospectively tested in 325 healthy full-term babies aged 1 to 32 weeks attending an orthopedic outpatient clinic. Two ophthalmologists raised the baby's head 30 degrees above horizontal and rapidly rotated it in the horizontal and vertical planes while watching the conjugate eye movement. Suppression of the reflex, by observer agreement, was analyzed in relation to gestational age, postpartum age, postconceptional age, birth weight, and current weight. The data were fitted to a logistic regression model to determine the probability of suppression of the reflex according to the clinical variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The oculocephalic reflex was suppressed in 75% of babies by the age of 11.5 weeks and in more than 95% of babies aged 20 weeks. Although postpartum age had a greater influence than gestational age, both were significantly correlated with suppression of the reflex (p = 0.01 and p = 0.04, respectively; two-sided t-test). Postpartum age was the best single variable explaining absence of the reflex. On logistic regression with cross-validation, the model including postpartum age and current weight yielded the best results; both these factors were highly correlated with suppression of the reflex (r = 0.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The oculocephalic reflex is suppressed in the vast majority of normal infants by age 11.5 weeks. The disappearance of the reflex occurs gradually and longitudinally and is part of the normal maturation of the visual system.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, Israel. moshesnir@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snir
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasanreisoglu
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasanreisoglue
authors.forename: Nitza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goldenberg-Cohen
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friling
authors.forename: Kalman
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nachum
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benjamini
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Herscovici
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Axer-Siegel
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D005123:Eye / Q000254:growth & development; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D019416:Head Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*