Oculomotor Training Improves Reading Eye Movement

Ocular Motility Disorders Clinical Trial

Official title:

Oculomotor Training Improves Reading Eye Movement

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02981875
• Other study ID #: HongKongPUVT
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 1, 2015
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2019

Study information

• Verified date: August 2020
• Source: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Children with reading eye movement problems were recruited for this study. The treatment group was provided with oculomotor training for 8 weeks, the control group was given placebo exercises.

Description:

Purpose of study Reading is one of the integral elements for learning and poor readers were reported to have less efficient reading eye movements. They were typically characterized by having higher number in fixation and regression, reduced reading speed and perceptual span. The purpose of this study was to investigate if vision therapy which limited to training of oculomotor skills can improve reading eye movement.

Methodology This was a randomized, prospective study. 30 subjects aged from 8-9 years of age with reading difficulties and reading eye movement problems were recruited. They all have normal intelligence and ocular health, but failed to meet the Taylor reading eye movement norms when tested with the Visagraph III. The subjects were randomly assigned into either the treatment group (15) or the control group (15). The treatment group had to go through a course of oculomotor vision therapy and the control group was given placebo exercises. Vision therapy for the treatment group involved 8 weeks of training (office training - 3 times a week, 30 min per session; home training - 4 times a week, 30 min per session). Office training involved the use of Vis-Flex (Visual Flexibility Trainer - an electronic device with L.E.D. lights which can display various flashing patterns at variable speeds). Home training involved several saccadic eye movement exercises. Subjects and parents were also asked to grade the reading symptoms checklist before and after the training.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 30
• Est. completion date: September 30, 2019
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2016
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 8 Years to 9 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Reported by teachers or parents to have reading difficulties and failed to meet the Taylor reading eye movement norms when tested with the Visagraph III (below age norm for both fixation and regression number).

• Studying in mainstream primary schools (8-9 years of age)

• With normal near visual acuities for both eyes (with or without spectacles)

• Hyperopia below +4.00 D

• Myopia below -4.00 D

• Astigmatism below -2.00 D

• Anisometropia less than 2.0 D difference between the two eyes

• Near heterophoria within 0-4 exophoria

• Vertical heterophoria less than 1 prism dioptre

• Monocular amplitude of accommodation over 10 D in both eyes

• With parents who were willing to perform vision therapy exercises for the children at home on a regular basis

• Both genders were acceptable as Eden et al (1994) stated that gender had no effect on oculomotor skills

Exclusion criteria:

• With strabismus

• Presence of eye diseases

• History of dyslexia (learning disability) or developmental delay

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Ocular Motility Disorders

Intervention

Other:
• oculomotor training
a sequence of vision training exercises which focused mainly in oculomotor skill
• placebo
placebo vision training exercises involving minimal accommodation and vergence eye movement.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

References & Publications (17)

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Borsting EJ, Rouse MW, Mitchell GL, Scheiman M, Cotter SA, Cooper J, Kulp MT, London R; Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial Group. Validity and reliability of the revised convergence insufficiency symptom survey in children aged 9 to 18 years. Optom Vis Sci. 2003 Dec;80(12):832-8. — View Citation

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Eden GF, Stein JF, Wood HM, Wood FB. Differences in eye movements and reading problems in dyslexic and normal children. Vision Res. 1994 May;34(10):1345-58. — View Citation

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McConkie GW, Kerr PW, Reddix MD, Zola D, Jacobs AM. Eye movement control during reading: II. Frequency of refixating a word. Percept Psychophys. 1989 Sep;46(3):245-53. — View Citation

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Pavlidis GT. Eye movement differences between dyslexics, normal, and retarded readers while sequentially fixating digits. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1985 Dec;62(12):820-32. — View Citation

Poynter HL, Schor C, Haynes HM, Hirsch J. Oculomotor functions in reading disability. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1982 Feb;59(2):116-27. — View Citation

Prado C, Dubois M, Valdois S. The eye movements of dyslexic children during reading and visual search: impact of the visual attention span. Vision Res. 2007 Sep;47(19):2521-30. Epub 2007 Aug 23. — View Citation

Rounds BB, Manley CW, Norris RH. The effect of oculomotor training on reading efficiency. J Am Optom Assoc. 1991 Feb;62(2):92-9. — View Citation

Shainberg MJ. Vision therapy and orthoptics. Am Orthopt J. 2010;60:28-32. Review. — View Citation

Solan HA. Deficient eye-movement patterns in achieving high school students: three case histories. J Learn Disabil. 1985 Feb;18(2):66-70. — View Citation

Solan HA. Eye movement problems in achieving readers: an update. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1985 Dec;62(12):812-9. — View Citation

* Note: There are 17 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in number of fixation and regression during reading after 8 weeks of oculomotor training	number of fixation and regression is measured by Visagraph per 100 words	8 weeks
Secondary	Change in reading rate during reading after 8 weeks of oculomotor training	reading rate in number of words/min and fixation duration measured in seconds	8 weeks
Secondary	Change in perceptual span (words per fixation) during reading after 8 weeks of oculomotor training	perceptual span measured in words per fixation	8 weeks
Secondary	Change in fixation duration (seconds) during reading after 8 weeks of oculomotor training	fixation duration measured in seconds	8 weeks
Secondary	Change in symptom scores after 8 weeks of oculomotor training	symptom scores is calculated with a scale of 0 to 4 for all the 8 items of manifested symptoms	8 weeks