A slow-moving baseball is easy to see. But when a skilled pitcher throws it fast, the ball can seem to disappear. Some people can see fast-moving things better than others.
A new study says this may be because of quick eye movements called saccades. Our eyes move quickly to different places, helping us see more. These movements happen about two to three times every second.
Everyone’s saccades are not the same speed. If someone has faster saccades, they can see fast things better.
The study shows that how we see depends on how our eyes move, not just how our eyes work. A good example is athletes, like baseball players, who might use their fast saccades to see fast motions better.
When we look around or read, our eyes dart to different spots. Sometimes this makes us “blind” for a moment. Luckily, our brain helps us by filling in those gaps, so we see smoothly.
Vocabulary List:
- Saccades /səˈkɑːd/ (noun): Quick eye movements that shift focus from one point to another.
- Disappearing /ˌdɪs.əˈpɪr.ɪŋ/ (verb): The act of ceasing to be visible.
- Athletes /ˈæθ.liːts/ (noun): Individuals who are proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.
- Motions /ˈmoʊ.ʃənz/ (noun): The process of moving or being moved.
- Dart /dɑrt/ (verb): To move suddenly and swiftly.
- Smoothly /ˈsmuːð.li/ (adverb): In a manner that is even and without roughness.
