Visual fixations rather than saccades dominate the developmental eye movement test.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Early diagnosis of visual and oculomotor deficits in children is vital for effective rehabilitation.
• The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test is a common tool for assessing oculomotor function through visual-verbal number naming.
• A lack of empirical data comparing oculomotor behavior between the DEM's horizontal and vertical subtests necessitates further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically compare oculomotor behavior during the horizontal and vertical subtests of a digital Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test in healthy children.
• To investigate the relationship between saccade parameters, fixation durations, and performance on the DEM subtests.
• To assess the correlation between DEM performance and visual processing speed.

Main Methods:

• Healthy children's eye movements were recorded using a digital version of the DEM test.
• Visual processing speed was measured using the Speed Acuity test.
• Saccade behavior parameters (number, amplitude, direction) and fixation durations were analyzed in relation to DEM performance.

Main Results:

• Saccade behavior parameters correlated with performance on the horizontal DEM subtest, but not the vertical subtest.
• Fixation durations showed a positive correlation with performance on both DEM subtests and closely aligned with visual processing speed.
• DEM scores demonstrated a strong positive correlation with visual processing speed.

Conclusions:

• The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test is not suitable for measuring saccade behavior.
• The DEM test serves as a valuable indicator of visual-verbal naming skills and visual processing speed in children.
• DEM performance reflects cognitive factors relevant to clinical assessment and rehabilitation planning.