How do motor signals from the brain help distinguish eye movement from movement in the scene?

To distinguish between eye movement and movement in the visual scene, the brain relies on motor-nerve signals rather than sensory feedback from the eye muscles.1

When you move your eyes voluntarily, the brain generates a motor discharge that informs your visual system about the movement. This signal allows the brain to perform psychological compensation, ensuring that the scene is perceived as stationary despite the shifting retinal image.12

This distinction fails when the eye is moved passively—such as by pushing it with a finger—because no corresponding motor discharge is sent to the brain. In such cases, the brain interprets the resulting change in the retinal image as movement of the scene itself. Similarly, individuals with paralyzed eye muscles may perceive the world as moving when they attempt to move their eyes, because the brain generates the expected motor command but receives no confirmation of actual eye motion.12