What Are Eye Movements?

Eye movements are how your eyes move to help you see clearly, track objects, focus at different distances, and keep your vision steady when your head moves. These movements are controlled by small muscles around each eye, and they work together to keep your vision aligned and accurate.

These eye movements are in 3 groups : Ductions, Versions, and Vergences.

What Is Duction?

Duction refers to the movement of one eye by itself. It's how a single eye moves in different directions, and it helps doctors check whether each eye muscle is working properly. Each of these movements is controlled by specific eye muscles.

There are several ways a single eye can move:

• Adduction: The eye moves toward the nose.

• Abduction: The eye moves away from the nose, toward the ear.

• Elevation: The eye looks upward.

• Depression: The eye looks downward.

• Intorsion: The top of the eye rotates inward toward the nose.

• Extorsion: The top of the eye rotates outward, away from the nose.

What is Version?

Versions are movements of both eyes together in the same direction (conjugate eye movements). Types of versions:

• Dextroversion – both eyes look to the right

• Levoversion – both eyes look to the left

• Supraversion – both eyes look up

• Infraversion – both eyes look down

• Dextroelevation – up and to the right

• Levoelevation – up and to the left

• Dextrodepression – down and to the right

• Levodepression – down and to the left

What is Vergence?

Vergence refers to eye movements in opposite directions, allowing both eyes to focus on a single object at different distances (disconjugate eye movement). Vergence helps with depth perception and binocular vision.

• Convergence – both eyes move inward to look at a near object (e.g., reading).

• Divergence – both eyes move outward to focus on a distant object.