01/08/2026
Oculomotor testing gets a lot easier when you stop to ask the right questions
When you ask:
🧠 👂🏽 What part of the vestibular system am I testing?
You’re linking the eye movement to anatomy ->brainstem, cerebellum, or peripheral organs.
What would a peripheral finding look like?
👂🏽 Peripheral vestibular findings tend to follow predictable patterns. I.e. a right vestibular hypofunction will show abnormal head impulse test on right with a left beat spontaneous or gaze nystagmus (acutely).
What would a central finding look like?
🧠 Central findings don’t always follow rules. They can be direction changing, vertical, or generally inconsistent. I.e. direction changing or down beat nystagmus with gaze.
This is why interpretation matters more than memorization. We’ll keep sharing more on how to make sense of eye movements as we go!
