Assessing Eye Movements
Assessing eye movements should be a regular part of every therapist’s evaluation process. We get 75% of the information about our environment from vision and vision affects things like reading, handwriting, and balance.
Before starting this evaluation, ask about the patients most recent eye exam. A patient not in the best corrected visual acuity may have difficult time fixating and therefore show poor ocular motor skills. Every child needs a complete
Nystagmus
An involuntary movement of the eyes called nystagmus. These are described as a congenital or acquired nystagmus and further described as jerky (faster in one direction than the other) or pendular (same speed in each direction).
Congenital Nystagmus
Assessing Eye Movements
Assessing eye movements is quick and easy and gives the therapist vital information on about the patient may be seeing the world. It’s easy to do…just watch!!!
Want to learn more?
Here is a list of tools i use in the clinic that can help you assess ocular motor skills.
Vision Mechanic.Net has some great videos and articles produced by Dr. Charles Boulet and Robert Constantine, Occupational therapist.
Excellent resource for pediatric occupational therapists.
Thank you for creating that video, I am an OT student at Belmont University and will be completing a Lab Skills check off soon and found this information very helpful. What deficits would a patient have if they do not do well on one of the tests? Specifically, tracking and saccades?
Thank you!
People with poor saccade accuracy and tracking will most obivously have reading issues, but saccades issues can alos provide us insight to to other spatial awareness issues. read more here https://visionmechanic.net/saccades/