Rehabilitation Oculomotor Screening Evaluation in Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury

Background: Many individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) exhibit oculomotor dysfunctions that impact their daily functioning. As current clinical screening tools are limited, we have created and pilot-tested the Rehabilitation Oculomotor Screening Evaluation (ROSE) previously in a small sample of people with acquired brain injuries and neurotypical participants. The current study aims to validate ROSE in persons with TBI, focusing on mild TBI (mTBI). Methods: Participants with TBI (n = 25) completed different clinical scales, including ROSE, Sensory Organization Test (SOT) for standing balance, Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI), Timed Up and Go (TUG) for mobility, and a visual analogue scale for the subjective perception of visual vertigo. Neurotypical individuals (n = 24) who were age- and sex-matched completed only ROSE. Results: The group with mTBI (n = 18) had significantly higher ROSE scores compared to the neurotypical group, with a large effect size. Significant correlation was found between ROSE and RNLI scores, but not with other clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Significant between-group difference in ROSE scores and their association with RNLI scores suggest that ROSE is a valid tool in detecting oculomotor dysfunction in TBI. Future studies should continue the validation of ROSE in other TBI and neurologic populations and in larger sample sizes.