A LabVIEW program to obtain the initiating component of a vergence eye movement in an open-loop experiment

The vergence oculomotor system is used in viewing objects moving in depth, such as when a baseball player tracks a ball moving towards him. It is composed of two components according to the Dual Mode Theory; a fast preprogrammed initiating component and a slow feedback-controlled sustaining component. The initiating component is described with open-loop control and the sustaining component is described as a closed-loop feedback control system. Previously, several languages have been utilized to develop programs to study and isolate the open-loop portion of vergence eye movements. Presenting a subject with a stimulus, which initiates an open-loop response has been speculated to adapt the vergence system more then other stimuli. This study utilizes LabVIEW 6i in developing a program capable of real time experimentation to study the open-loop portion of vergence eye movements. LabVIEW offers many options to the programmer and operator with a user-friendly interface for program development as well as an open architecture, allowing flexibility for future studies. This research validated that LabVIEW can be used for open-loop experimentation through a timing analysis and a comparison proving that responses obtained from this code are similar to data published in the literature