Oculocephalic reflex

In medicine, the oculocephalic reflex, also doll's eye reflex, is an eye movement to maintain forward gaze in response to neck rotation. It is considered a normal response.

The name doll's eye reflex comes from the fact that many dolls with movable eyes exhibit the reflex.

It can be used to evaluate dizzy patients for vestibular pathologies and yields information similar to testing the vestibulo-ocular reflex.

In the setting of brain injury, an absent oculocephalic reflex carries a very poor prognosis. Physicians sometimes test for it when assessing whether a patient is brain dead. In a dead person the eyes remain fixed relative to the head when the neck is rotated. Since the test involves rapid neck movement, it is contraindicated in patients with spinal cord injuries and suspected spinal cord injuries.