Proprioception and exodeviations.

Abstract

When a slight adductive force is applied by forceps to the straight or master eye in exotropia, the exodeviated or slave eye assumes the straight position. The nature of this phenomenon was studied. The reflex occurred in an all-or-none form and showed little dose response, that is, the slave eye did not adduct beyond the straight position even if an extreme forced adduction was applied to the master eye. Once the slave eye assumed the straight position by the reflex it maintained this position, even when the master eye was covered, except when the master eye was released from the forced adduction. This reflex movement response occurred promptly on repeated forced adduction at 9 Hz on the master eye, while the visual movement of the eye was limited to follow 1 Hz movement of the target. The reflex occurred readily in the light but hardly at all in the dark. From these facts the authors conclude that the reflex is brought about as a result of interaction between the proprioceptive impulse and the visual input, where the former may chiefly constitute the signal, while the latter restricts the threshold of the reflex pathway.