How Eye Movement Speed Affects Decision-Making

Eye MovementsIf you become impatient very easily, you may have faster eye movements. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland have published a study that may shed some light as to why certain people are perfectly content waiting in a long grocery store line, for example, while others feel compelled to move to find shorter lines. The study looked at how eye movements would reflect differences in how a person assesses time and reward.

Saccades, or the eye movements we make to switch focus between objects, differ greatly from person to person. The researchers discovered a strong link between saccade speed and impulsivity: the faster the saccades, the greater the impulsivity.

Not surprisingly, saccades tend to slow down as a person grows older. Our eyes continually change throughout our lives, and there are many eye changes that might affect saccades and vision. One of those is cataracts. Unfortunately, the study did not look at the effect of cataracts on eye movement. Cataracts are caused by protein clumps in the eye that form naturally, leading to cloudy vision, blurry vision, dull color vision, glare from lights, poor night vision, ghost images and other cataract symptoms.

The Laguna Hills eye doctors at Harvard Eye Associates use technologically-advanced laser-based cataract surgery to remove cataracts and restore better vision through replacement Intraocular Lenses (IOLs). Our technology combined with cataract premium IOL lens options in Laguna Hills, provides outstanding vision results for our patients…often reducing the need for glasses of any kind after surgery.

If you feel that cataracts may be affecting your eye movements and your overall vision, contact Harvard Eye Associates today at 949-951-2020 or harvardeye.com to schedule a Cataract Evaluation in Laguna Hills.