Definition

1. Noun:
   • A rapid, jerky movement of the eyes between positions of rest: In physiology and neurology, a saccade is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more points of fixation. It is the way the eye rapidly shifts its gaze from one target to another.
   • An abrupt spasmodic movement: More generally, it can refer to any sudden, jerky movement resembling the rapid eye movement.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • When reading, your eyes do not move smoothly across the line; they make a series of saccades and brief pauses.
  • The neurologist studied the patient's eye saccades to assess brainstem function.
  • His hand made a saccade towards the glass, knocking it over.

Advanced Usage

• Saccadic suppression: The brief suppression of visual perception that occurs during a saccadic eye movement, preventing the blurring of the image.
  • Saccadic suppression is why you don't perceive the world as a blur when you quickly look around.

Variants and Related Words

• Saccadic (adj): Of or relating to saccades.
  • The instrument measured saccadic velocity.

Synonyms

• Jerky movement
• Twitch
• Flick (specifically for eyes)

Antonyms

• Smooth pursuit (a slow, tracking movement of the eyes)
• Steady gaze
• Fixation

Related Phrases

• To make a saccade: To execute this type of eye movement.
  • The subject was asked to make a saccade from the central dot to the peripheral target.

Noun

1. an abrupt spasmodic movement
2. a rapid, jerky movement of the eyes between positions of rest