Lens Accommodation, Ocular Convergence and the Brain(Physiology of Vision)

Experimental findings obtained by our group were reviewed, and functional significance of the visual association cortex in controlling lens accommodation and ocular convergence was discussed. By intracortical microstimulation in an extrastriate visual area in the cat, lens accommodation and vergence eye movement were evoked. In the same cortical area, a group of neurons was also activated in correlation with lens accommodation or ocular convergence. In addition, after the lesion in this area, the velocity of ocular convergence was significantly reduced. Human psychophysical studies on these topics were referred, and it is suggested that this cortical area contributes to the pre-programed control of lens accommodation and ocular convergence, especially in their dynamic phase