Long-term eye-movement training may improve visual function in school-age children

During childhood, balance control and visual skills develop as sensory and motor systems mature. Visual skills refer to the ability to process visual information efficiently and translate it into appropriate physical actions.

Eye-movement training has been proposed as a way to support these functions through repeated, moderate stimulation of the eye-movement system. However, it remains unclear whether children can adhere to such training over an extended period and what functional benefits such training may provide. In particular, few studies have objectively monitored adherence to long-term, home-based eye-movement training programs in children.

In this study, 28 children living in Tsukuba City participated in a 24-week, home-based eye-movement training program while watching instructional videos. The program included rapid eye movements (saccades), smooth eye-tracking exercises (smooth pursuit) and combined head and eye movements based on the vestibulo-ocular reflex.

The researchers also used the SUKUBARA remote monitoring system to track participants’ adherence by recording video viewing time, thereby enabling an objective assessment of training frequency.

The research is published in the journal BMC Pediatrics.

Participants completed the training an average of 4.6 times per week. The researchers observed improvements in eye-hand coordination and in the ability to identify horizontally moving digits. In particular, eye-hand coordination tended to improve to a greater extent among children who trained more frequently.

However, no significant improvement was observed in the primary outcome measure, balance ability, as assessed using the Index of Postural Stability. Because the study did not include a control group, the effectiveness of the training program cannot be conclusively established. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that sustained, home-based eye-movement training may help improve certain aspects of children’s visual function.

Who’s behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

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Andrew Zinin

Master’s in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X’s editorial success.

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