Amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye" is the key contributor for slow reading in school children, says a new study conducted at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest. Children with amblyopia have impaired ocular motor function. This can result in difficulties in activities for which sequential eye movements are important, such as reading.
Their findings are published in the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).
Amblyopia
Amblyopia is the loss of one eye''s ability to see details. Amblyopia is otherwise known as lazy eye.
Advertisement
‘Amblyopic children read significantly more slowly than strabismic children without amblyopia and normal control children.
’
Tweet it Now
"This study marks the first time that amblyopia, not strabismus, has been identified as the key factor in poorer reading in school-age children with amblyopia," explained lead investigator Krista R. Kelly, PhD, of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest. "Previous studies had not emulated natural reading conditions that the child would normally encounter in school, that is, binocular silent reading of grade-appropriate paragraphs at habitual reading distance. Lastly, these studies had evaluated subjects who had both amblyopia and strabismus and therefore were unable to evaluate the effect of strabismus alone on reading."
Three groups of children were studied: 29 children with amblyopia with or without strabismus, 23 children being treated for strabismus but without amblyopia, and 21 children with normal vision. The children with amblyopia and/or strabismus had been referred to the Retina Foundation of the Southwest by 18 pediatric ophthalmologists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
![Amblyopia or 'Lazy Eye' Could Change an Individuals' Brain Wiring]( "Amblyopia or 'Lazy Eye' Could Change an Individuals' Brain Wiring")
Using a brain scanning method called diffusion-weighted imaging, the research team mapped the pathways known to carry visual information from the eyes to the brain.
The children silently read a grade-level paragraph of text during binocular viewing while fitted with the ReadAlyzer, an eye movement recording system. The researchers measured reading rate, the number of forward and regressive eye movements (saccades) per 100 words, and the length of eye pauses (fixations). Comprehension was evaluated with a 10-item quiz. Only data from children with at least 80% correct responses were included so that it was unlikely that impaired reading in amblyopic children was due to comprehension difficulties.
Amblyopic children read significantly more slowly than strabismic children without amblyopia and normal control children. Statistically, there was not a significant difference in the reading rate between strabismic children without amblyopia and normal control children. Similarly, amblyopic children had about 35% more forward eye movements during reading than either strabismic children without amblyopia or normal children.
Source: Eurekalert
Amblyopia or 'Lazy Eye' Could Change an Individuals' Brain Wiring
Using a brain scanning method called diffusion-weighted imaging, the research team mapped the pathways known to carry visual information from the eyes to the brain.
Advertisement
The children silently read a grade-level paragraph of text during binocular viewing while fitted with the ReadAlyzer, an eye movement recording system. The researchers measured reading rate, the number of forward and regressive eye movements (saccades) per 100 words, and the length of eye pauses (fixations). Comprehension was evaluated with a 10-item quiz. Only data from children with at least 80% correct responses were included so that it was unlikely that impaired reading in amblyopic children was due to comprehension difficulties.
Amblyopic children read significantly more slowly than strabismic children without amblyopia and normal control children. Statistically, there was not a significant difference in the reading rate between strabismic children without amblyopia and normal control children. Similarly, amblyopic children had about 35% more forward eye movements during reading than either strabismic children without amblyopia or normal children.
Source: Eurekalert
Changes in Subcortical Regions of Brain may Cause Abnormal Involuntary Eye Movements in Amblyopia
Despite the special role of eye movements in vision, scientists have not been able to find out much about oculomotor function in amblyopia, or lazy eye, .
Advertisement
 Ubisoft and Amblyotech's New Video Game can Treat AmblyopiaUbisoft has blended the worlds of play and health care by unveiling a tablet video game on Tuesday which is crafted as a prescription for an ocular condition known as amblyopia. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Child Health News
In individuals with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplements raised their levels to the normal range. Despite this, they did not influence fracture risk.
Gaining deeper understanding of early perception is crucial for unraveling infant cognition and understanding how musical abilities impact early development.
Prenatal and postnatal B-12 vitamins increase the micro-nutrients in breast milk to support the development of the baby's brain.
The presence of Streptococcus in the placenta was associated with a two- to three-fold increase in the probability of neonatal unit admission.
Facing discrimination and acculturating during pregnancy could not only affect the mother but also potentially harm the baby's brain health.