ABSTRACT
The neurologically impaired patient with visual hemi-neglect is characterized by inadequate interaction with the visual environment. The quality of this interaction rests on many factors, one of which involves oculomotor behavior. Although it has been said that the purpose of eye movements lies in the need to maintain an object fixed in a particular way on the retina (Walls, 1962), the following discussion shows that visual hemi-neglect ranges from a failure to look, to “looking without seeing” (cf., Llewellyn-Thomas, 1976). The main thesis of this chapter is double-sided; eye movement research has considerably enhanced our understanding of visual hemi-neglect, and there is much more that may be accomplished using this methodology to better investigate and define this problem.
