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The effect of ageing on the range of ocular movements
Author(s) -
Davidson J. H.,
Knox P. C.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
ophthalmic and physiological optics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.147
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1475-1313
pISSN - 0275-5408
DOI - 10.1046/j.1475-1313.2002.00086_30.x
Subject(s) - heterophoria , monocular , binocular vision , gaze , medicine , eye movement , depression (economics) , ophthalmology , visual acuity , ageing , psychology , audiology , strabismus , optics , physics , macroeconomics , psychoanalysis , economics
Purpose: Although it is generally believed that defective conjugate upward gaze is common in the elderly, there is little evidence in the literature to support this. We investigated the range of ocular movements in both an elderly and a young group of subjects, under both binocular and monocular conditions. Methods: Ten old (mean age 71.38 ± 5.2 years) and six young subjects (20.17 ± 1.7 years) with good and equal visual acuity, normal binocular single vision and normal ocular movements participated. Heterophoria in nine positions of gaze was measured on the synoptophore. The range of eye movement was assessed binocularly and monocularly using Snellen fusion slides and the extent of elevation, depression, right gaze and left gaze recorded. Results: Under binocular and monocular conditions, the range of movement decreased for all positions in the older group. The difference was only statistically significant in elevation ( p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant asymmetry between the eyes for any position for either group. Under monocular conditions there was a statistically significant symmetrical reduction in the extent of abduction in the older group in both right ( p < 0.01) and left eyes ( p < 0.05) compared with the younger group. In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference for either eye on adduction. Conclusion: These results confirm a decrease in elevation in healthy older individuals with slight restrictions in all other positions. There was a statistically significant and previously unreported decrease of abduction under monocular conditions in the elderly group. Thus asymmetry between the eyes remains the best tool when diagnosing a pathological weakness in eye movement, but more research is needed to confirm the extent of these age‐related restrictions.