June 2021
Volume 62, Issue 8
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2021
Fixation and Saccadic Abnormalities in Amblyopic Patients With and Without Nystagmus
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Dhiksha Balaji
    Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
  • Jordan Murray
    Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
  • Fatema F Ghasia
    Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Dhiksha Balaji, None; Jordan Murray, None; Fatema Ghasia, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2021, Vol.62, 144. doi:
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      Dhiksha Balaji, Jordan Murray, Fatema F Ghasia; Fixation and Saccadic Abnormalities in Amblyopic Patients With and Without Nystagmus. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2021;62(8):144.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose : Fixation eye movements are physiologic eye movements elicited during attempted fixation to prevent visual fading by thwarting neural adaptation. Saccades are rapid eye movements between fixation that bring the object of interest onto the high-resolution fovea to achieve the best possible vision. Amblyopic patients have increased fixation instability due to nystagmus, along with reduced saccadic precision and prolonged latencies. The purpose of this study is to quantify and correlate fixation and saccadic abnormalities in amblyopia patients with and without nystagmus.

Methods : We recruited 22 controls and 23 amblyopic subjects. We recorded fixational eye movements (FEMs) using infra-red video-oculography and classified 12 subjects without nystagmus, 5 subjects with fusion maldevelopment nystagmus (FMN), and 6 subjects with nystagmus that do not meet the criteria of FMN. We measured visually-guided horizontal, vertical, and oblique saccades in all participants. Latency, precision, and disconjugacy (amplitude difference between viewing and non-viewing eye) were measured and correlated with FEM abnormalities.

Results : Saccadic latencies were prolonged in amblyopic patients during both amblyopic eye viewing [Controls: 159±50, None: 301±186, Nystagmus without FMN: 203±184, FMN: 194±57, p<0.0001] and fellow eye viewing [Controls: 159±50, None: 262±161, Nystagmus without FMN: 173±62, FMN: 164±72, p<0.0001] conditions. Amblyopic patients without nystagmus were better at initiating corrective saccades to minimize the saccadic inaccuracies. On the other hand, patients with nystagmus had greater frequency of staircase saccades, which were defined as abnormal multiple rapid saccades within 500 milliseconds, compared to other groups.

Conclusions : Fixation and saccadic eye movement abnormalities are seen in both the amblyopic and the fellow eye, suggesting that amblyopia is a binocular vision disorder. The fixation and saccadic abnormalities are closely interlinked. These abnormalities likely contribute to reading and daily visuo-motor task difficulties and should be assessed to identify and provide proper academic accommodations to young children with amblyopia.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.

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