Immediate Effect of Eye Movement on Static Balance according to Age in Elderly Individuals

Purpose: This study investigated changes in static balance during eye movement while in an upright standing position and compared static balance in elderly individuals according to age. Methods: A total of 154 elderly persons (male 23, female 136) were enrolled in the study. Participants followed an eye movement program that consisted of randomly occurring pursuit eye movement and saccadic eye movement. Participants were asked to remain in the double-leg standing position for 2 minutes 30 second while fixating their eyes on a specific target, after which they were instructed to perform eye movements for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Static balance was measured in terms of the area, length, and average speed (cm/ s) of the center of pressure (COP) displacement before and after eye movement intervention with the eyes open. Results: The area, length, and velocity of COP displacement improved significantly (p< 0.01) after intervention. No significant differences among age groups were observed. Conclusion: The results indicated that eye movement was an effective intervention for improving static balance in elderly persons.