title: Distinct eye movement patterns enhance dynamic visual acuity.
abstract: Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) is the ability to resolve fine spatial detail in dynamic objects during head fixation, or in static objects during head or body rotation. This ability is important for many activities such as ball sports, and a close relation has been shown between DVA and sports expertise. DVA tasks involve eye movements, yet, it is unclear which aspects of eye movements contribute to successful performance. Here we examined the relation between DVA and the kinematics of smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements in a cohort of 23 varsity baseball players. In a computerized dynamic-object DVA test, observers reported the location of the gap in a small Landolt-C ring moving at various speeds while eye movements were recorded. Smooth pursuit kinematics-eye latency, acceleration, velocity gain, position error-and the direction and amplitude of saccadic eye movements were linked to perceptual performance. Results reveal that distinct eye movement patterns-minimizing eye position error, tracking smoothly, and inhibiting reverse saccades-were related to dynamic visual acuity. The close link between eye movement quality and DVA performance has important implications for the development of perceptual training programs to improve DVA.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Dimitrios J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Palidis
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Pearson A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Wyder-Hodge
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Jolande
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fooken
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Center for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.|International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spering
mesh_terms: D001484:Baseball / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth; D012438:Saccades; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult