Oculomotor Training Improves Reading Eye Movement

NCT ID: NCT02981875

Last Updated: 2020-08-04

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-01-01

Study Completion Date

2019-09-30

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Ocular Motility Disorders

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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experimental

oculomotor training

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

oculomotor training

Intervention Type OTHER

a sequence of vision training exercises which focused mainly in oculomotor skill

control

placebo vision training exercises

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

placebo

Intervention Type OTHER

placebo vision training exercises involving minimal accommodation and vergence eye movement.

Interventions

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oculomotor training

a sequence of vision training exercises which focused mainly in oculomotor skill

Intervention Type OTHER

placebo

placebo vision training exercises involving minimal accommodation and vergence eye movement.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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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
Minimum Eligible Age

8 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

9 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Carly Lam

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Carly SY Lam

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

References

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 4088794 (View on PubMed)

Biscaldi M, Gezeck S, Stuhr V. Poor saccadic control correlates with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia. 1998 Nov;36(11):1189-202. doi: 10.1016/s0028-3932(97)00170-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9842764 (View on PubMed)

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. doi: 10.1097/00006324-200312000-00014.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 14688547 (View on PubMed)

Bosse ML, Tainturier MJ, Valdois S. Developmental dyslexia: the visual attention span deficit hypothesis. Cognition. 2007 Aug;104(2):198-230. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2006.05.009. Epub 2006 Jul 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16859667 (View on PubMed)

Bucci MP, Nassibi N, Gerard CL, Bui-Quoc E, Seassau M. Immaturity of the oculomotor saccade and vergence interaction in dyslexic children: evidence from a reading and visual search study. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e33458. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033458. Epub 2012 Mar 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22438934 (View on PubMed)

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. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(94)90209-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8023443 (View on PubMed)

Hutzler F, Wimmer H. Eye movements of dyslexic children when reading in a regular orthography. Brain Lang. 2004 Apr;89(1):235-42. doi: 10.1016/S0093-934X(03)00401-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15010255 (View on PubMed)

Jainta S, Kapoula Z. Dyslexic children are confronted with unstable binocular fixation while reading. PLoS One. 2011 Apr 6;6(4):e18694. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018694.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21494641 (View on PubMed)

McConkie GW, Kerr PW, Reddix MD, Zola D. Eye movement control during reading: I. The location of initial eye fixations on words. Vision Res. 1988;28(10):1107-18. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(88)90137-x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3257013 (View on PubMed)

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. doi: 10.3758/bf03208086.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2771616 (View on PubMed)

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. doi: 10.1097/00006324-198512000-00003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 4083326 (View on PubMed)

Poynter HL, Schor C, Haynes HM, Hirsch J. Oculomotor functions in reading disability. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1982 Feb;59(2):116-27. doi: 10.1097/00006324-198202000-00002.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7065104 (View on PubMed)

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. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2007.06.001. Epub 2007 Aug 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17719073 (View on PubMed)

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

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1814996 (View on PubMed)

Shainberg MJ. Vision therapy and orthoptics. Am Orthopt J. 2010;60:28-32. doi: 10.3368/aoj.60.1.28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21061881 (View on PubMed)

Solan HA. Deficient eye-movement patterns in achieving high school students: three case histories. J Learn Disabil. 1985 Feb;18(2):66-70. doi: 10.1177/002221948501800201. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3973502 (View on PubMed)

Solan HA. Eye movement problems in achieving readers: an update. Am J Optom Physiol Opt. 1985 Dec;62(12):812-9. doi: 10.1097/00006324-198512000-00002.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 4083325 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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HongKongPUVT

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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