An adaptive mechanism controls the strength of innervation to the two
eyes independently. However, under some circumstances an adjustment in
strength of innervation to one eye is generalized to the other. The c
oupling and uncoupling of the two eyes during saccadic motor learning
was studied using the technique of intrasaccadic target displacements
to provide a precise visual-motor error proportional to the commanded
movement. Early adaptive changes (saccade plus fast vergence) were mea
sured within the saccadic interval and late adaptive changes (vergence
error) were measured after the saccadic interval, When one viewing ey
e was retrained using intrasaccadic displacements, saccadic amplitude
changes generalized to the other nonviewing eye. Thus, rapid adaptive
changes trained monocularly were transferred to the nonviewing eye. Bu
t when two eyes were viewing and an adaptive stimulus was provided to
only one eye (binocular viewing-monocular training), adaptive changes
also occurred in both eyes. Experiments described here suggest that th
e recalibration of the saccade occurs quickly as a conjugate adjustmen
t of gain which is used to balance innervation to the two eyes. Therea
fter, disconjugate mechanisms provide a further recalibration to each
eye independently.