{"id":3785,"date":"2026-10-30T14:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.first-sight.ch\/?post_type=glossary&p=3785"},"modified":"2026-10-30T14:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:57:25","slug":"oculomotor-apraxia","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/www.first-sight.ch\/en\/glossar\/oculomotor-apraxia\/","title":{"rendered":"Oculomotor Apraxia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oculomotor apraxia is a neurological disorder in which voluntary horizontal eye movements are impaired. Affected children cannot direct their eyes quickly and deliberately to a new point of gaze. Instead they develop striking compensatory movements with the head. The condition is usually recognised in the first months of life and frequently improves with increasing age.<\/p>\n

What happens in oculomotor apraxia?<\/h2>\n

Normally the eye can jump from one point to the next in a fraction of a second. These rapid eye movements are called saccades. In oculomotor apraxia, the regions of the brain that trigger and control these saccades are impaired. The eyes do not move to the desired target, or do so only with a delay.<\/p>\n

Affected children develop a characteristic compensation strategy:<\/p>\n

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  1. The child turns the head abruptly past the target<\/li>\n
  2. The eyes initially stay fixed on the starting point and then \"slide\" passively in the right direction<\/li>\n
  3. The child then turns the head back into its normal position<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These rapid head movements (head saccades or head thrusts) are the most striking sign of the condition. Vertical eye movements (up and down) are generally not affected.<\/p>\n

    Causes<\/h2>\n