saccadic suppression

Saccadic suppression is a physiological process that occurs during rapid eye movements called saccades. These quick movements redirect gaze to place the fovea, the area of sharpest vision on the retina, onto points of interest in the visual scene.1

During a saccade, vision is significantly impaired for two main reasons: the rapid movement blurs the image, and an active blanking-off process, known as saccadic suppression, temporarily blocks vision. This suppression prevents the world from appearing smeared as the eyes move. While vision is impaired during the saccade itself, visual information is gathered during the periods of fixation between these rapid eye movements.12