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Electrical Potentials In The 1920's

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In the 1920's, it was discovered that by placing electrodes on the skin in the region of the eyes, one could record electrical activity which changed in synchrony with movements of the eye in the head. It was initially believed that these potentials reflected the action potentials in the muscles that are responsible for moving the eyes in the orbit. However, it is now generally agreed that these electrical potentials are generated by the permanent potential difference which exists between the cornea and the ocular fundus (cornea-retinal potential, 10-30mV: the cornea being positive). This potential difference sets up an electrical field in the tissues surrounding the eye. As the eye rotates, the field vector rotates correspondingly. Therefore,

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