A reevaluation of the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test's repeatability

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Optometry
• Pediatric Vision

Background:

• The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) Test is a common tool used to assess visual-motor skills.
• Accurate assessment of visual-motor skills is crucial for academic success in young children.
• Repeatability of diagnostic tests is essential for reliable clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest repeatability of the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) Test.
• To assess the reliability of DEM Test scores in third-grade students.

Main Methods:

• Thirty third-grade students who passed a vision screening were administered the DEM Test.
• Participants were retested using the DEM Test two weeks after the initial assessment.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement was observed in vertical time, horizontal time, and ratio scores from test to retest.
• The vertical and horizontal time scores demonstrated fair to good repeatability (ICC > 0.55).
• The ratio score exhibited poor repeatability (ICC = 0.27), indicating significant variability.

Conclusions:

• The ratio score of the DEM Test shows poor repeatability in third-grade children.
• This poor repeatability may impact diagnostic accuracy and the monitoring of treatment effectiveness for saccadic dysfunction.
• Clinicians should exercise caution when interpreting DEM Test ratio scores due to potential variability.