Reflexes of the Eye

What are the reflexes of the eye?

Eye reflexes are automatic responses that protect your eyes and help you see clearly. They control actions like blinking, tearing up or adjusting to light. These reflexes work through nerve signals that travel between your brain and eyes.

Three important eye reflexes are your corneal reflex, your pupillary reflex and your vestibulo-ocular reflex. Your corneal reflexes cause blinking and make your eyes tear. Your pupillary reflex makes your pupils open to let light in. Your vestibulo-ocular reflex keeps your vision steady while your head moves.

Corneal reflex

You have two corneal reflexes:

• Corneal blink reflex: This is automatically blinking your eyes when something touches them, like a speck of dust. Blinking also protects your eyes from bright lights.
• Tear (lacrimatory) reflex: This is when your tear system floods your eye with tears to wash something away. But strong emotions or exposure to wind and cold can also trigger your tear reflex.

Pupillary reflex

Pupillary reflexes help your eyes adjust to different lighting. There are three types:

• Pupillary light reflex: Your pupils shrink (constrict) in bright light
• Pupillary dark reflex: Your pupils widen(dilate) in low light
• Ciliospinal reflex: Your pupils quickly widen in response to pain that affects your face or neck

Vestibulo-ocular reflex

This reflex keeps your eyes level when your head moves. You may not realize it, but your head is always in motion. If you didn’t have this reflex, your vision would be blurry all the time.

Other eye reflexes

You have other eye reflexes that have several different functions:

• Oculocardiac reflex: Your oculocardiac reflex refers to your heart rate slowing when something puts pressure on your eye. You may experience this if you have eye surgery, but it can also happen if you’re hit in the face or after receiving a regional nerve block.
• Palpebral oculogyric reflex (Bell’s reflex): This reflex causes your eye to roll up when you put something in it, like eye drops or contact lenses. This reflex gets its name from Bell’s palsy, which causes temporary facial paralysis.