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Postural control in strabismic children versus non strabismic age-matched children

  • Pediatrics
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Abstract

Background

Several studies have shown that achieving a dual task modifies postural control; however, their results are conflicting. The goal of the present study is to compare the effect of a simple task (eye fixation) to the effect of a dual task (saccadic eye movements) on postural balance in strabismic and in non strabismic children.

Methods

Postural stability was recorded with a platform (Techno Concept©) in ten strabismic children aged from 5.4 to 13.8 years (mean age: 8.8 ± 2.5 years). Data were compared to that of ten age-matched non strabismic control children. We analyzed the surface area, the length and the mean speed of the center of pressure (CoP).

Results

Strabismic children are more instable than control children. The surface (340 mm2), the length (402 mm) and the mean speed (16 mm/s) of the CoP are significantly higher in strabismic children than in control children (160 mm2, 280 mm and 11 mm/s, respectively). In addition, both strabismic and control children have a better postural control during saccades than during a fixation task. Surface, length and mean speed of the CoP are significantly reduced during the saccade task (214 mm2, 306 mm and 12.5 mm/s, respectively) than during the fixation task (285 mm2, 376 mm and 14.8 mm/s, respectively).

Conclusions

Abnormal postural control in strabismic children could be due to their visual deficits. The postural improvement observed in a dual task (saccades) vs. a simple task (fixation) might be due to the fact that postural control becomes more automatic during saccadic eye movements.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the children who participated in the study, Dr. Qing Yang and M. Nicolas Lebas for help in statistical analysis and Ms. Chloe Ann Barker for revising the English version of the manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Fundings

The authors have no support or funding to report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 676 Inserm, Université Paris Diderot, Paris 7. Hôpital Robert Debré, 48 Bd Sérurier, 75019, Paris, France

    Cynthia Lions & Maria Pia Bucci

  2. Service d’Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Robert Debré (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris), 48 Boulevard Sérurier, 75019, Paris, France

    Emmanuel Bui-Quoc

Authors
  1. Cynthia Lions
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  2. Emmanuel Bui-Quoc
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  3. Maria Pia Bucci
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Correspondence to Cynthia Lions.

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Lions, C., Bui-Quoc, E. & Bucci, M.P. Postural control in strabismic children versus non strabismic age-matched children. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 251, 2219–2225 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2372-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-013-2372-x

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