saccade

noun

1. the act of checking a horse quickly with a single strong pull of the reins.
2. Ophthalmology. the series of small, jerky movements of the eyes when changing focus from one point to another.

noun

1. the movement of the eye when it makes a sudden change of fixation, as in reading
2. a sudden check given to a horse

n.1705, from French saccade “a jerk,” from obsolete saquer “to shake, pull,” dialectal variant of Old French sachier, ultimately from Latin saccus “sack” (see sack (n.1)). Related: Saccadic. n.

1. A rapid intermittent eye movement, as that which occurs when the eyes fix on one point after another in the visual field.