<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

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 (<italic>n</italic> = 44) with a visual acuity of >20/400 in the better eye and a diagnosis of a retinal disorder affecting the macula were recruited for this study. Fixation stability was determined using the Mirametrix Eye Tracker and participants were then divided into two groups: stable fixation and unstable fixation. Functional balance was measured using the Timed Get-Up-and-Go (TUG) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Balance confidence was assessed using the Activities-Specific Balance (ABC) Scale.
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, <italic>t (42)</italic> = −1.763, <italic>P</italic> = 0.043. Subjects with poor fixation stability scored lower on the ABC scale and on the BBS compared to the stable fixation group, but the difference was not significant.
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.
</abstract>

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 (n = 44) with a visual acuity of >20/400 in the better eye and a diagnosis of a retinal disorder affecting the macula were recruited for this study. Fixation stability was determined using the Mirametrix Eye Tracker and participants were then divided into two groups: stable fixation and unstable fixation. Functional balance was measured using the Timed Get-Up-and-Go (TUG) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Balance confidence was assessed using the Activities-Specific Balance (ABC) Scale.
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, t (42) = −1.763, P = 0.043. Subjects with poor fixation stability scored lower on the ABC scale and on the BBS compared to the stable fixation group, but the difference was not significant.
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.

The influence of fixation stability on balance in central vision loss

Vision Rehabilitation International

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"The influence of fixation stability on balance in central vision loss"}

Background: Some major visual disorders damage the central retina and to compensate for the loss of a functioning fovea, those affected use their remaining...

	Stable (Mean ± SD)	Unstable (Mean ± SD)	t-test ( p-value)
Number	23	21
Gender	13 males, 10 females	10 males, 11 females
Age (years)	66.48 ± 11.98	69.64 ± 9.40	t(42) = −0.965 (p = 0.170)
Fallen before (n)	16	17
Fallen in the last year (n)	11	9
Number of falls last year	0.57 ± 0.60	0.70 ± 1.11	U = 255.00 ( p = 0.644)
Visual Acuity OU (logMAR)	0.33 ± 0.23	0.34 ± 0.20	U = 243.50 ( p = 0.523)
BBS (total score/56)	53.43 ± 3.08	51.65 ± 6.07	U = 268.00 ( p = 0.741)
ABC Scale (%)	84.47 ± 11.80	75.17 ± 19.99	t(42) = 1.86 ( p = 0.965)
TUG (seconds)	10.70 ± 2.78	14.30 ± 8.22	U = 160.50 ( p = 0.029)

The influence of fixation stability on balance in central vision loss

Published Online: Jan 01, 2019

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Mar 25, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/ijom-2019-003

Keywords
Aging, Balance, Central vision loss, Vision, Fixation stability, Falls

© 2019 Caitlin Murphy et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Descriptive statistics for fixation groups.

The influence of fixation stability on balance in central vision loss

Published Online: Jan 01, 2019

Page range: 1 - 9

Received: Mar 25, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/ijom-2019-003

KeywordsAging, Balance, Central vision loss, Vision, Fixation stability, Falls

© 2019 Caitlin Murphy et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Descriptive statistics for fixation groups.

Keywords
Aging, Balance, Central vision loss, Vision, Fixation stability, Falls