Results from training of saccadic eye movements in stroke patients

Many stroke patients present a retardation of saccadic eye movements to the contralateral side of the affected hemisphere. The saccadic eye movements of 100 patients suffering from a unilateral medial cerebral artery stroke were trained regularly. In comparison with a group of 100 untrained patients an increase of saccadic velocity was observed in the trained patients. The group of trained patients had a benefit in reading velocity and in spatial orientation. A regular training of saccadic eye movements in patients with a retardation of saccadic eye velocity is therefore recommended.