Abstract
Purpose:
Deficits in visual function during early childhood may have wide-ranging effects on development. The aim of this study was to assess whether stereopsis, visual acuity and global motion perception were related to performance on the well-validated Beery Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) test in children born with developmental risk factors.
Methods:
One hundred and eight 54-month-old children (50 male) took part in this study. All children were born with at least one of the following developmental risk factors: maternal drug use, child of a diabetic mother, small for gestational age, large for gestational age, preterm delivery (≥35 weeks gestation). Stereopsis was measured using the VAO stereo test with Lea symbols and visual acuity was measured using age appropriate tests. Psychophysical measures of global motion perception were made using a random dot kinematogram stimulus (100 dots, dot speed 6°/s) within which the proportion of signal to noise was varied using a 2-down 1-up staircase procedure. Ocular motility and ocular health were also assessed. The Beery VMI test was administered and standardized scores of visual motor integration, visual perception and motor coordination were calculated.
Results:
85 children completed all tests (42 male). Weak but statistically significant relationships were found between stereopsis and motor coordination scores (rho = -0.21, p<0.05) and visual acuity and visual perception scores (rho = -0.22, p <0.05) whereby better visual function was associated with superior performance on the specific Beery VMI test subscales. Global motion perception was not related to the Beery VMI test scores, however, a weak but statistically significant positive correlation was found between global motion perception and stereopsis (rho = 0.36, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Visual acuity and stereopsis were associated with visual-motor function within a group of 4.5 year old children born with developmental risk factors.
Keywords: 434 binocular vision/stereopsis •
756 visual development •
601 motion-2D