Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Comparison of Three Clinical Stereoscopic Methods for Measuring Binocular Visual Function During Amblyopic Treatment in Unilateral Amblyopia
Published on: September 27, 2024
Amblyopia is associated with impaired balance in 3-6-year-old children in China
Taylor A Brin1, Zixuan Xu2, Yusong Zhou2
1School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Insights
Children with amblyopia in China show impaired motor function, particularly in balance. These motor deficits, similar to those seen in other cultures, may affect daily activities.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Children in China exhibit superior motor development compared to North American children, potentially due to cultural differences in activities.
- Binocular visual disorders (BVDs), such as amblyopia, are common in childhood.
- The impact of BVDs on motor function in Chinese children was previously unstudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether motor function impairments associated with amblyopia are present in children raised in China.
- To compare motor function across groups of children with amblyopia, other BVDs, and no visual disorders.
Main Methods:
- A prospective case-control study was conducted in a Chinese tertiary eye hospital.
- Participants included 63 children aged 3 to <7 years, categorized into amblyopia, no-amblyopia BVD, and control groups.
- Motor function was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition.
Main Results:
- The amblyopia group demonstrated significantly poorer balance scores compared to controls.
- No significant differences in manual dexterity, catching/throwing, or total motor scores were found between the no-amblyopia BVD group and others.
- A direct comparison revealed significantly lower total motor scores in the amblyopia group versus controls.
Conclusions:
- Amblyopia is linked to motor function deficits in Chinese children, specifically affecting balance.
- These findings suggest that motor impairments in amblyopic children are a cross-cultural phenomenon.
- Observed motor deficits in amblyopia may have implications for children's daily activities.
Purpose:
School-age children in China have more advanced motor development than their North American counterparts. This is likely due to cultural differences in children's regular motor activities. It is unknown whether the motor function impairments associated with binocular visual disorders (BVDs) such as amblyopia in children raised in North America exist for children raised in China.
Design:
Prospective case-control study.
Methods:
A major tertiary eye hospital in China tested children aged 3 to <7 (n = 63) belonging to three groups: anisometropic or strabismic amblyopia (n = 22), anisometropia or strabismus without amblyopia (n = 20), or controls (n = 21). The main outcome measure was motor function scores (Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition).
Results:
Balance scores varied significantly across groups (F 2,61 = 4.2, p = 0.02) with the amblyopia group (mean ± SD: 12.5 ± 3.0) exhibiting significantly poorer scores than controls (14.8 ± 2.3). The no-amblyopia BVD group (12.8 ± 3.1) did not differ significantly from the other groups. Manual dexterity, catching and throwing and total scores did not vary significantly across the three groups. A separate pre-planned comparison of only the amblyopia and control groups revealed significantly poorer total motor scores in the amblyopia group (10.1 ± 3.2) vs. controls (12 ± 2.4). A linear regression model was unable to significantly predict associations between total motor score and binocular function score (standardized β = -0.09, 95%, p = 0.7), amblyopia etiology (standardized β = 0.14, 95%, p = 0.4), or inter-ocular acuity difference (standardized β = -0.18, 95%, p = 0.4), in the amblyopia group.
Conclusion:
Amblyopia is associated with motor function impairment in children raised in China. Motor deficits that may impact everyday activities have been observed in patients with amblyopia across multiple cultures.
