Abstract
BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in characteristic eye movements have been identified in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. AIM: To determine if eye movement parameters can serve as biomarkers for diagnosing PD and predicting therapeutic responses to levodopa. METHODS: We enrolled 128 PD patients and 28 healthy controls, assessing eye movements before and after levodopa administration. RESULTS: Specific eye movement parameters robustly differentiated PD patients from controls, with an AUC of 0.856, and maintained robustness post-levodopa. Correlations were found between changes in eye movement parameters and motor symptom improvements, leading to a predictive model for levodopa responsiveness with an AUC of 0.783. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Eye movement assessments offer an objective tool for PD diagnosis and levodopa responsiveness prediction.