Background: Some major visual disorders damage the central retina and to compensate for the loss of a functioning fovea, those affected use their remaining peripheral retina to accomplish daily tasks. This results in the formation of an unstable, non-central fixation point, which compromises ability to detect obstacles and acquire visual information from the environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a measurable (and significant) difference in balance ability and fall risk between visually impaired people with stable fixation and those with unstable fixation.
Method: Individuals (
Results: Performance on the TUG test was significantly different between the groups, with the poor-fixation group having a slower TUG time than the stable-fixation group,
Significance: Based on the TUG, those with unstable fixation are at a higher risk of falls compared to individuals with stable fixation. Given fixation stability is a visual factor that can be trained and improved upon, these findings warrant further research into the relationship between fixation stability and balance.