Slowed saccades in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

We recorded eye movements using infrared oculography in ten patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and ten control subjects of similar age. Peak saccadic velocity for the AIDS group was significantly lower than that of the control group for both adducting and abducting saccades (P less than .001). Saccadic duration for the AIDS group was significantly greater than that of the controls for both adducting and abducting saccades (P less than .02 for adduction and P less than .01 for abduction). There was no difference in saccadic latencies between the two groups. We add slowed saccades to the ocular motility manifestations of AIDS. Our study indicated that analysis of ocular motility may be of value in providing early detection of neurologic dysfunction, and may also be an important quantitative measure of the responsiveness of patients to different types of potential therapies.