Amblyopia is associated with impaired balance in 3–6-year-old children in China

Abstract

PurposeSchool-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.DesignProspective case-control study.MethodsA 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).ResultsBalance scores varied significantly across groups (F2,61 = 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.ConclusionAmblyopia 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.

Assessment of the Functional Form of the Relationship between Balance Control and Physical Activity Regarding Demographic, Anthropometrical, and Eye Impairment Explanatory Covariates in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: Results of Polynomial and Cluster Analyses

“…Our results can be generalized to children in the same range of age and living in urban regions. However, further research is needed to determine the extent to which our results can be generalized (1) to children living in other settings, (2) to specific subgroups of young patients with other visual impairments that reduced balance control, such as strabismus and amblyopia [ 69 , 70 ], and (3) to other measures of PA.…”

Associations between the cause of amblyopia and pre-treatment contrast sensitivity, stereoacuity, fixation, and nystagmus

“…Stereopsis was poor for all amblyopia subtypes, especially when monocular cues were not available. A loss of binocular visual function may be the most functionally relevant aspect of amblyopia as it can impact the development of motor function [ [41] , [42] , [43] ] and reading [ 44 , 45 ]. Amblyopia treatments that target binocular visual function have been developed [ [46] , [47] , [48] ] and there is evidence that binocular treatment may improve motor function [ 42 ].…”