A comparison of eye movement measures across reading efficiency quartile groups in elementary, middle, and high school students in the U.S.

This cross-sectional study examined eye movements during reading across grades in students with differing levels of reading efficiency. Eye-movement recordings were obtained while students in grades 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 silently read normed grade-leveled texts with demonstrated comprehension. Recordings from students in each reading rate quartile at each grade level were compared to characterize differences in reading rate, number of fixations, number of regressions, and fixation durations. Comparisons indicated that students in higher reading rate quartiles made fewer fixations and regressions per word, and had shorter fixation durations. These indices of greater efficiency were also characteristic of students in upper as compared to lower grades, with two exceptions: (a) between grades 6 and 8, fixations and regressions increased while reading rates stagnated and fixation durations continued to decline, and (b) beyond grade 6 there was relatively little growth in the reading efficiency of students in the lower two reading rate quartiles. These results suggest that declines in fixation duration across grades may in part reflect broader maturational processes, while higher fixation and regression rates may distinguish students who continue to struggle with word recognition during their high school years.

The Overlooked Deficits of Acquired Brain Injury: Bringing Visual Rehabilitation into Focus

Each year, 2.5 million Americans experience a form of ABI, including TBI and stroke (Englehardt, Richman & Weiss, 2003). Visual impairments often co-occur post-ABI, with 25% of stroke survivors experiencing visual field cuts and 40% of people with a TBI experiencing vision impairment (Englehardt et al., 2003; Rowe et al., 2009). Although vision impairment post-ABI impacts rehabilitation outcomes and occupational performance, it is frequently overlooked by healthcare practitioners (Nelms, 2000). OTs are uniquely suited to address the impact of visual deficits on occupational performance. This systematic appraisal of the literature examines interventions to address visual deficits in individuals with ABI. PubMed, Ovid Medline, and CINAHL databases were searched using terms pertaining to visual impairment, ABI, visual rehabilitation, and occupational therapy. Inclusion criteria required that articles be peer-reviewed, Level I-V evidence, published between 2004 and 2014, included adult participants, and addressed outcomes related to daily functioning and participation. Exclusion criteria further refined the search to exclude articles that contained pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, populations Evaluation of Quality of an Intervention Study. Emerging evidence supports the use of OT visual rehabilitation interventions in clinical practice to improve functional performance in adults with ABI (Radomski, Davidson, Voydetich & Erickson, 2009). In order to provide ethical, evidence-based services, OTs and other clinicians must understand the increased incidence and complexity of visual deficits associated with ABI. Evidence emphasizes the importance of immediate visual evaluation and optometrist referrals followed by client-centered intervention for best patient outcomes (Englehardt et al., 2003). Reviewed articles highlighted the use of a variety of compensatory and remedial interventions including prism lenses (Carman-Merrifield, 2005), environmental modifications (Copolillo & Ivanoff, 2012), and oculomotor training (Kapoor, Ciuffreda, & Han, 2004). This review found promising preliminary evidence to support OT intervention for neurovisual deficits; however, more rigorous studies are needed to inform clinical practice. Presentation: 43 minute

Association of eye movement patterns with handedness and eye dominance

Background: Many investigators have studied the association between learning, reading and eye movement patterns with handedness and eye dominance. Theories and speculations have resulted from these numerous studies. Although many studies have investigated these relationships, we were unable to locate any studies associating the Visagraph II reading efficiency data to handedness and/or eyedness. The Visagraph II, an objective computerized method of testing eye movement patterns, requires minimal subjective assessment of the subject\u27s performance. The goal of our study is to investigate two subtle factors, eyedness and handedness, as they relate to eye movement patterns and to examine these factors in a relatively homogeneous group of subjects (43 third-year Optometry student). Methods: Forty-three third year optometry students served as subjects. The subjects completed a handedness and preferred eye survey, in which they indicated hand or eye preference while performing or simulating the tasks asked. The subjects then read two standard Adult level Taylor paragraphs (Level 10) while the Visagraph II assessed their eye movement patterns. Results: ANOVA for the three preferred near eye when reading groups find significant effects in the Visagraph II relative reading efficiency score and reading comprehension questions correct between the mixed eye group and the left and right eye groups. An ANOVA also shows significant effects in the Visagraph II reading comprehension questions correct between the strong and non-strong right handed (RH) groups. The preferred far and near eye are moderately correlated. There is also a low but significant correlation between handedness and the preferred far and near eye. Conclusions: The subjects in the mixed preferred near eye group read more efficiently and comprehended more of the material that they read when compared to the right and left preferred near eye group. Although the subjects in the non-strong RH groups were not more efficient readers, our study shows that the subjects in the non-strong RH group performed better on the reading comprehension questions than the strong RH group. Findings in our study are consistent with findings found in certain past studies

Visagraphic eye movement analysis and subjective correlates

The Visagraphic eye movement measurements of fifty-two Pacific University College of Optometry students was compared to the subjective answers to thirteen question concerning reading and visual performance asked of each individual. The objective Visagraphic measurements of Reading Rate With Rereading, Reading Rate Without Re-reading and Relative Efficiency correlated best with overall subjective reading performance, comprehension ability, and necessity to re-read material, other comparisons of subjective ans objective performance showed low correlations

Are reading eye movement efficiency gains from home-based PA/VE and guided reading therapy programs retained over time?

The goal of this study was to explore whether subjects who successfully completed a web-based computerized, eye movement and reading efficiency training program would retain their improved visual efficiency skills over time. Subjects for this investigation were drawn from the intervention groups of an earlier study by Bragg et al., assessing the effectiveness of the Taylor Associates PANE computerized eye movement efficiency and reading enhancement program. Subjects in the Bragg et. al. intervention groups trained either 2 times per week or 4 times per week for 1 0-weeks using the P AJVE and Reading Plus™ program. Based upon Visagraph II results, both the 2 times per week and 4 times per week training groups demonstrated significantly improved eye movement efficiency immediately following intervention. For this follow up investigation, a subset of twenty non reading-disabled subjects were recruited from the Bragg et. al. study for repeated Visagraph II measurement over time without the benefit of additional training. Our longitudinal study found that improvements in reading eye movement efficiency achieved immediately post-intervention were retained both after 10-weeks and 68-weeks post-intervention. Compared to pre-intervention, post-intervention mean fixations, regressions, reading rate, and relative efficiency scores were significantly better at both 1 0-weeks and 68-weeks, than before training. Although there was a skills regression trend at 68-weeks (slightly greater for 4 times per week training subjects), this decline did not achieve significance relative to pre-training, or even relative to the 10-weeks post-intervention results. Based upon the results of this longitudinal investigation, it appears that eye movement efficiency improvement secondary to P A/VE training is retained for at least one year following training. This study together with the Bragg et. al. , study support the notion that the home-based computerized P A/VE training developed by Taylor and Associates can serve as a valuable tool for improving reading eye movements with non-reading disabled adults and that improvement are maintained for at least one year

Deficits in the activation of human oculomotor nuclei in chronic traumatic brain injury

Binocular eye movements form a finely tuned system that requires accurate coordination of the oculomotor dynamics of the brainstem control nuclei when tracking the fine binocular disparities required for 3D vision. They are particularly susceptible to disruption by brain injury and other neural dysfunctions. Here, we report functional magnetic resonance imaging activation of the brainstem oculomotor control nuclei by binocular saccadic and vergence eye movements, and significant reductions in their response amplitudes in mild or diffuse traumatic brain injury (dTBI). Bilateral signals were recorded from a non-TBI control group (n = 11) in the oculomotor control system of the superior colliculi, the oculomotor nuclei, the abducens nuclei, and in the supra-oculomotor area (SOA), which mediate vergence eye movements. Signals from these nuclei were significantly reduced overall in a dTBI group (n = 12) and in particular for the SOA for vergence movements, which also showed significant decreases in velocity for both the convergence and divergence directions

Use of the Taylor Visagraph II to evaluate eye movements during reading of Japanese text

The Taylor Visagraph uses infrared optics to assess eye movements made during reading . In this study, the Visagraph was used to determine the reliability and repeatability of data obtained while native Japanese readers read texts written in Japanese. These reading data were compare to eye movements made by Japanese students reading paragraphs written in Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana. Three level 1 and three level 10 Visagraph paragraphs were professionally translated from English into Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana. They were read by 21 adults who had completed at least high school in Japan and who were currently taking college courses in the U.S. The Visagraph provided data on reading rate, fixation, regression , and other variables for each paragraph read. Reliability of Visagraph data from the three paragraphs read in each form was analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. No significant differences were found between the paragraphs for Kana or mixed Kanji/Kana. However, significant differences between English norms and actual data from Kana and mixed Kanji/Kana were found

Test-retest; The reliability of the DEM, King-Devick, and Visagraph

The Developmental Eye Movement Test (DEM), King-Devick (K-D), and Visagraph are three of the most frequently employed tests currently being utilized to assess eye movements in Optometric practice today. Although these tests have been normed, there have been no studies that assess the test-retest reliability and correlations between these most commonly used eye movement tests. Thirty-four elementary school children, between the ages of 9 and 11, were screened for visual abnormalities: Three trials for each test were presented in random order, with one week intervals between tests 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. The DEM showed significant differences between trials 1 and 2, and 1 and 3. K-D showed significant differences for subtest III between trials 1 and 3, and Visagraph showed significant differences between trials 1 and 3 for rate without rereading. A high correlation (R=.841) between DEM and K-D was also found. Correlations between Visagraph and DEM and Visagraph and KD were not quite as high, but still good (R=.500), (R=.506) respectively. These results indicate a change in performance, possibly due to test familiarity existing. Single administration of these tests may not be adequate with pretesting strongly recommended. High correlations between the DEM and K-D may preclude the need for performing both tests

Effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display System-based Developmental Eye Movement Test

By transplanting the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test chart to a virtual reality head-mounted display (VR HMD) system, this study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the DEM test for measuring dynamic visual acuity.Thirty-nine adults aged 20–39 years of both genders were the subjects of the study. After undergoing measurement of their visual function, through medical questionnaire, interpupillary distance, near point of convergence (NPC), near point of accommodation (NPA), and far and near phoria, the correlation between the tests was analyzed performing DEM vertical, horizontal test and VR HMD DEM (VHD) vertical, horizontal test.NPC and NPA decreased significantly after the VHD test, while phoria did not. The horizontal was quicker than the vertical in the DEM test, and vice versa in the VHD test. DEM was quicker than VHD in both the vertical and horizontal directions. There was no notable difference in error frequency between DEM and VHD. In terms of DEM and VHD test, there was no notable difference in the short-range IPD and subjective symptoms of the top 10 and bottom 10 subjects. There was also no notable difference between the exercise and non-exercise groups and the game and non-game groups.The performance time for VHD, in which the chart must be read while moving the body, was longer than that of DEM. Therefore, based on the consistency of the results of both tests and the lack of a difference in error frequency and subjective symptoms, the VHD equipment proposed in this thesis is as effective as dynamic visual acuity measurement equipment. In addition, the lack of a difference between the exercise and non-exercise groups and the game and non-game groups demonstrated that the amount of exercise and game by an ordinary person does not influence their dynamic visual function