Lateral eye movement while eyes are closed.

The present study was designed (1) to clarify whether lateral eye movements appear when eyes are closed as well as when they are open and (2) to examine some possible factors which may affect the phenomenon. Horizontal eye movements of 8 males and 8 females during reflection were recorded by means of electro-oculography. All the subjects showed fewer lateral eye movements in eyes-closed condition than in eyes-open condition, and neither the consistency of direction nor the effect of question types was replicated. These facts cannot be explained by the hemispheric activation hypothesis.