Scoping review: Intervention for ocular motor disorders in children and adults with mild traumatic brain injury

Intervention strategies for post-mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) ocular motor disorders vary across disciplines and include watchful waiting, vestibular rehabilitation, vision rehabilitation/vision therapy, and optical intervention. However, evidence supporting their effectiveness is limited, highlighting the need for high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized testing, diagnostic criteria, and reassessment of ocular motor function after intervention.

Ocular motor disorders occur frequently after mTBI.

This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of interventions for mTBI-related ocular motor disorders in children and adults.

The following electronic bibliographic databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, PEDro, OVID, Clinical Key, Google Scholar, and REHABDATA.

Intervention studies published in English between 2003 and 2024 involving mTBI participants who had an ocular motor assessment prior to intervention were included in this study.

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines were followed for reporting. Study population, intervention, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized in tabular and graphical formats.

Sixty-seven eligible studies were included, with only three (4%) judged as low risk of bias. Intervention strategies included watchful waiting (n = 31, 46%), vestibular rehabilitation (n = 13, 19%), vision rehabilitation/vision therapy (n = 10, 15%), optical intervention (n = 4, 6%), and alternative interventions or multifaceted interventions (n = 9, 14%). Among the studies providing statistically supported results, improvements in one or more ocular motor outcome domains were reported in nearly 80% of the studies on watchful waiting (19/24) and 100% of the studies on vestibular rehabilitation (4/4), vision rehabilitation/vision therapy (7/7), or optical intervention (1/1).

Although post-mTBI ocular motor deficits improved with watchful waiting strategy, vestibular rehabilitation, vision rehabilitation/vision therapy, and optical interventions, most studies had significant risk of bias. This review emphasizes the necessity for high-quality randomized controlled trials with standardized testing protocols and diagnostic criteria and reassessment of ocular motor functions after intervention to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in different age groups and recovery stages.