Smooth pursuit eye movements are normally made when we track an object moving smoothly in the visual environment. The role of the smooth pursuit system is subsequently to match the eye velocity to the target velocity and to keep the image of the object near the fovea, the highest acuity zone in the retina. When target velocity is too large, errors during pursuit are eliminated by saccadic eye movements which in this case are called catch-up saccades. It is necessary to point out that smooth pursuit eye movements are controlled by visual feedback contrary to catch-up saccades, which are executed without visual feedback. The mechanisms that govern the decision to switch from smooth pursuit eye movements to catch-up saccades, which have very different dynamics, are still poorly understood.
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