The Robert B. Daroff Neuro-Ophthalmology Collection

Introduction to the Collection

What follows is a presentation of a variety of eye movement disorders that was prepared in 1991. The original recordings were on 16mm film, mostly filmed in the 1960’s and 70’s in my laboratory at the University of Miami. Others were kindly lent to me by Miami neuro-ophthalmological colleagues, J. Lawton Smith and Noble David. The films were converted to 4 videotapes. The segments on the original tapes were unlabeled, which explains why I introduced some of them as “unknown “.
Robert B. Daroff, MD.
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
December, 2009

Cerebral Control of Eye Movements (Full Video)

This first of four tapes describes the purpose of eye movements and the anatomical pathways for saccades and smooth pursuit, followed by video clips of eye movement abnormalities.

Brain Stem Eye Movement Syndromes (Full Video)

This tape reviews clinical pathological correlations between eye movement disorders and their underlying brain stem lesions. In addition, the two unusual phenomena of gustatory lid retraction and gaze-evoked ear retraction are shown, along with conditions that may mimic brain stem lesions.

Cerebellar Eye Signs (Full Video)

Lesions of the cerebellum cause a variety of eye movement disorders, including saccadic intrusions, ocular dysmetria and flutters nystagmus, gaze palsies, and dysfunction of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. In this series of videos, these disorders are discussed in relation to the relevant cerebellar and brain stem anatomy. In addition, a more detailed discussion of nystagmus and saccadic intrusions is provided. Pulse-step firing from the burst cells and nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, is necessary to initiate a saccade, which require the pause cells to inhibit appropriately.

Miscellaneous Ocular Oscillations (Full Video)

In this final tape, a random series of ocular oscillations is presented; some subtle, others traumatic.