---
title: "Vestibulo-ocular reflex: 10 ms"
description: "Vestibulo-ocular reflex: typically 10 ms, really 7 ms to 15 ms. What is actually being measured, and why it counts as a reflex rather than one of the other two."
url: https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/vestibulo-ocular-reflex/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Vestibulo-ocular reflex

**Vestibulo-ocular reflex: 7 ms–15 ms**

Reflex — does not reach the brain

The fastest reflex in the body, and the reason you can read a sign while walking but cannot read one while shaking your phone. The three-neuron arc from the semicircular canals to the eye muscles is short enough that the eyes begin compensating roughly a hundredth of a second after the head starts to move. Any camera stabilisation system is trying to replicate this and none of them are as fast.

## The numbers

- **Typical:** 10 ms
- **Range:** 7 ms to 15 ms
- **What it is:** Reflex — does not reach the brain
- **What is measured:** Head turns; time until the eyes counter-rotate to hold the image still.

## Why this is a reflex

A reflex arc turns round in the spinal cord or brainstem and never involves conscious processing. That is why reflex latencies are an order of magnitude shorter than reaction times, and why you cannot train a reaction down to a reflex figure.

## Where it sits against everything else

*Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.*

- Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex: 10 ms
- Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex: 22 ms
- Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit: 35 ms
- Blink reflex — Reflex: 40 ms
- Withdrawal reflex — Reflex: 90 ms
- Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit: 110 ms
- Sprint start reaction — Reaction: 140 ms
- Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction: 155 ms
- Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction: 170 ms
- Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction: 190 ms
- Formula One start reaction — Reaction: 200 ms
- Simple visual reaction time — Reaction: 250 ms
- How reaction time changes with age — Reaction: 250 ms
- What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction: 300 ms
- What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction: 320 ms
- Recognition reaction time — Reaction: 340 ms
- Choice reaction time — Reaction: 380 ms
- Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit: 400 ms
- Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit: 450 ms
- Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit: 500 ms
- Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction: 850 ms

## Reflexes

| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex | 22 ms | 18 ms–24 ms | Reflex |
| Blink reflex | 40 ms | 30 ms–60 ms | Reflex |
| Withdrawal reflex | 90 ms | 70 ms–150 ms | Reflex |

## Common questions

### How long is vestibulo-ocular reflex?

Typically 10 ms, with a real range of 7 ms to 15 ms. Head turns; time until the eyes counter-rotate to hold the image still.

### Is that a reflex or a reaction?

Reflex — does not reach the brain. A reflex arc turns round in the spinal cord or brainstem and never involves conscious processing. That is why reflex latencies are an order of magnitude shorter than reaction times, and why you cannot train a reaction down to a reflex figure.

## Related pages

- [Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/knee-jerk-reflex/)
- [Blink reflex](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/blink-reflex/)
- [Withdrawal reflex](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/withdrawal-reflex/)
- [A reflex is not a reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/reflex-vs-reaction/)
- [Stopping distance at every speed](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/stopping-distance/)
- [Measure your own reaction time](https://atoneplace.net/tools/reaction-time-test/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)