# Is it possible to roll the eye smoothly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707 "2007-04-11T21:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![\_kat\_herbrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e47774/32.png) [@\_kat\_herbrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_kat_herbrain)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/1 "2007-04-11T21:46:54Z")
I have lately noticed that it seems to be impossible (for me, at least) to look from Point A to Point B by moving my eyes slowly across the room and having them move smoothly. Form what I can feel, they seem to move in small jerks. Is this impossible, am I wrong, or do I just have defective eyes? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/2 "2007-04-11T21:49:42Z")
Try tracking something. Look from the left side of the room to the right…jerky Now put your hand at an arms length and move it from right to left while following it with your eyes (no head movement)…smooth. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/3 "2007-04-11T21:49:53Z")
It’s impossible for most people to do that. You can, however, move them more smoothly if you are tracking a moving object. (Try it with your finger.) Just one of those things I learned yonks ago in biology class. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/4 "2007-04-11T22:51:55Z")
To some extent, this is also an issue of muscle control. For example, there are some Feldenkrais exercises that involve moving your eyes back and forth in various directions to work on improving this. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/5 "2007-04-11T22:54:19Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] Try tracking something. Look from the left side of the room to the right…jerky Now put your hand at an arms length and move it from right to left while following it with your eyes (no head movement)…smooth. [/QUOTE] Interesting. I’ve never really thought about this before, but you’re right. However, an interesting wrinkle — I’m able to track by imagining that I’m watching a fly go across the room. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/6 "2007-04-11T23:05:52Z")
[QUOTE=Doctor Who] Interesting. I’ve never really thought about this before, but you’re right. However, an interesting wrinkle — I’m able to track by imagining that I’m watching a fly go across the room. Anyone else? [/QUOTE] Nope, but I’m a left brainer. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/7 "2007-04-12T02:28:26Z")
Fix your gaze on something in front of you and keep locked on to it as you move your head left and right. _Smooooooooooooooth_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/8 "2007-04-12T05:27:00Z")
Read more about saccades. > **[Saccade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade)** > > A saccade (/səˈkɑːd/ sə-KAHD; .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French: \[sakad\]; French for 'jerk') is a quick, simultaneous movement of both eyes between two or more phases of fixation in the same direction. In contrast, in smooth pursuit movements, the eyes move smoothly instead of in jumps. The phenomenon can be associated with a Hu... ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/9 "2007-04-12T20:40:28Z")
I can do it because I have a “lazy eye” on the right. It makes it look like the whole room is moving, which is why we ordinarily have a bulit in visual perception to prevent that happening. Sometimes that gets disabled by concussions or whatever and then you get the cliche of “the room is spinning”. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/10 "2007-04-13T01:41:40Z")
It may be “cheating”, but try to roll the eyes with the eyes closed…it is obviously possible to move the eyes in any direction without the start/stop effect. If you “zone out” with your eyes open, you can get the same smooth motion. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-roll-the-eye-smoothly/399707/11 "2007-04-13T06:17:40Z")
This is one of the main ways why animatronics look wrong - the eyes move too smoothly when they should jerk around (and have a more wet spongy look to them, too). Computer Graphics, which doesn’t have to deal with the limitations of electronics, manages to do it properly. Or better, at least.