Convergence Insufficiency Identifies Athletes at Risk of Prolonged Recovery From Sport-Related Concussion

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Neurology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Sport-related concussion (SRC) necessitates sensitive screening tools for identifying athletes at risk of prolonged recovery.
• Convergence insufficiency (CI) is a frequently observed condition in athletes following SRC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between CI and the duration of recovery after SRC.
• To evaluate CI as a prognostic marker during the initial clinical assessment of concussed athletes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study involving 270 athletes diagnosed with SRC.
• Near point of convergence (NPC) was measured at the initial visit to categorize athletes into groups with and without CI (NPC >6 cm vs. NPC ≤6 cm).
• Recovery time was tracked for all participants.

Main Results:

• Athletes with CI experienced significantly longer recovery times (51.6 ± 53.9 days) compared to those without CI (19.2 ± 14.7 days).
• CI was associated with a 12.3-fold increased odds of prolonged recovery (≥28 days) after adjusting for confounding factors.
• CI screening demonstrated 84.2% sensitivity and 70.0% specificity for predicting prolonged recovery.

Conclusions:

• Initial assessment of CI through NPC measurement can identify athletes with a higher risk of prolonged recovery from SRC.
• NPC measurement is a practical, cost-effective prognostic screening tool for clinicians managing concussed athletes.