Factors Associated with Impaired Motor Skills in Strabismic and Anisometropic Children
Krista R Kelly1,2, Sarah E Morale1, Cynthia L Beauchamp3
1Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas, Texas, United States.
Insights
Children with amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (crossed eyes) show significant motor skill deficits. These visual impairments, especially when present from infancy, negatively impact dexterity, aiming, catching, and balance, highlighting early life visual development
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Strabismus and anisometropia are common childhood eye conditions.
- Amblyopia, often associated with these conditions, can affect visual development.
- Motor skill development is crucial for childhood development and daily functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate motor skills in children with strabismus and anisometropia, with or without amblyopia.
- To identify factors associated with motor impairments in these children.
- To compare motor performance between amblyopic, nonamblyopic, and control groups.
Main Methods:
- 143 children (3-13 years) with strabismus/anisometropia (96 amblyopic, 47 nonamblyopic) and 35 controls completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition.
- Tasks included Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance.
- Clinical and sensory factors were analyzed for their association with motor performance.
Main Results:
- Amblyopic and nonamblyopic children were 3-6 times more likely to have motor impairments than controls.
- Amblyopic children showed deficits in Manual Dexterity, Aiming/Catching, and Balance.
- Nonamblyopic children showed deficits in Manual Dexterity only.
- Factors linked to deficits included presence of amblyopia, binocularity issues, infantile onset, strabismus history, and reduced binocularity.
Conclusions:
- Amblyopia and strabismus significantly disrupt motor ability development in children.
- These findings underscore the broad impact of early discordant binocular input.
- Visual acuity and binocularity deficits associated with these conditions have widespread effects on development.
Purpose:
We evaluated motor skills in children diagnosed with strabismus and anisometropia, with or without amblyopia, and explored factors associated with impairments.
Methods:
A total of 143 strabismic and anisometropic children 3 to 13 years of age (96 amblyopic, 47 nonamblyopic) and a group of age-similar 35 control children completed Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance tasks from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition. Raw scores were converted to standardized scores, and amblyopic and nonamblyopic children were compared to controls. Clinical and sensory factors associated with motor performance were also evaluated.
Results:
Overall, amblyopic and nonamblyopic children were three to six times more likely than controls to be at risk for or to have a total motor impairment (≤15th percentile). Although amblyopic children scored lower than controls for the Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance tasks, nonamblyopic children scored lower on Manual Dexterity only. Factors related to manual dexterity deficits include the presence of amblyopia and binocularity deficits typical of these eye conditions. Aiming, catching, and balance deficits were most pronounced in children with an infantile onset of the eye condition, a history of strabismus, and reduced binocularity.
Conclusions:
Amblyopia and strabismus disrupt the development of motor ability in children. These findings highlight the widespread effects of discordant binocular input early in life and the visual acuity and binocularity deficits typical of these eye conditions.
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