Analysis of eye movement of children with cerebral palsy by the NSUCO oculomotor test and measurement with eye tracking system

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the eye movements of children with cerebral palsy, using the NSUCO oculomotor test and eye tracking system. The participants were 31 children with cerebral palsy without mental retardation. The control group included 16 physically challenged children without cerebral palsy. They were students at junior high or high schools for special needs education for the physically challenged. As the results of the NSUCO oculomotor test, it was evaluated that 32.3% of the children with cerebral palsy had fixation disorders, and 71.0% and 93.5% of them had impairments of saccadic eye movements (saccades) and smooth pursuit eye movements (smooth pursuit), respectively. In contrast, only two children from the control group had impairment of smooth pursuit. Furthermore, eye tracking data from one child with cerebral palsy showed abnormal oculomotor behavior, such as nystagmus during fixation, delayed latency and longer duration of saccades, lower peak velocity of saccades, lower pursuit velocity and occurrence of catch-up saccades during pursuit. From these results, it is expected that the findings about the characteristics of eye movements revealed by the NSUCO oculomotor test and eye tracking systems would be useful to support Physical Education classes and learning of children with cerebral palsy.