Peripheral sensory information and postural control in children with strabismus

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Normal postural control relies on integrated sensory feedback from visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems.
• Strabismus, characterized by abnormal binocular vision, can alter spatial perception and depth cue utilization in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the postural control of children with and without strabismus under conditions challenging all three major sensory systems.

Main Methods:

• Forty-six children (21 with strabismus, 25 controls), aged 5-10 years, underwent ophthalmic screening and postural control assessments.
• Assessments included the Paediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and six conditions of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT).
• Key outcome measures were PBS score, SOT Equilibrium Score (ES), Strategy Score (SS), and Sensory Analysis Score.

Main Results:

• Children with strabismus showed significantly lower PBS scores and SOT condition 1 ES and SS compared to controls.
• Sensory Analysis revealed significant differences in the 'Somatosensory' domain between the groups.
• Strabismus was significantly associated with lower PBS, ES, and SS in SOT condition 1, explaining 12.8-16.1% of the variance.

Conclusions:

• Postural control is not equivalent between children with and without strabismus, especially when relying on somatosensory input.
• Children with strabismus demonstrate inferior functional balance performance.
• Age-related balance improvements observed in typically developing children were not evident in the strabismus group.