Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Visual fixation development in children

  • Clinical Investigation
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The ability to keep steady fixation on a target is one of several aspects of good visual function. However, there are few reports on visual fixation during childhood in healthy children.

Methods

An infrared eye-tracking device (Orbit) was used to analyse binocular fixation behaviour in 135 non-clinical participants aged 4–15 years. The children wore goggles and their heads were restrained using a chin and forehead rest, while binocularly fixating a stationary target for 20 s.

Results

The density of fixations around the centre of gravity increased with increasing age (p < 0.01), and the time of fixation without intruding movements increased with increasing age (p = 0.02), while intruding saccades decreased with increasing age (p < 0.01). The number of blinks and drifts did not differ between 4 and 15 years, and there were no significant differences with regard to gender or laterality in any of the investigated variables. No nystagmus was observed.

Conclusion

This study establishes values for visual fixation behaviour in a non-clinical population aged 4–15 years, which can be used for identifying children with fixation abnormalities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rucci M, Casile A (2004) Decorrelation of neural activity during fixational instability: possible implications for the refinement of V1 receptive fields. Vis Neurosci 21:725–738

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Von Noorden G, Campos E (2002) Binocular vision and ocular motility: theory and management of strabismus, 6th edn. Mosby, St. Louis

    Google Scholar 

  3. Leigh JR, Zee DS (1999) The neurology of eye movements, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  4. Salati R, Borgatti R, Giammari G, Jacobson L (2002) Oculomotor dysfunction in cerebral visual impairment following perinatal hypoxia. Dev Med Child Neurol 44:542–550

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Jacobson L, Ygge J, Flodmark O (1998) Nystagmus in periventricular leucomalacia. Br J Ophthalmol 82:1026–1032

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Sweeney JA, Takarae Y, Macmillan C, Luna B, Minshew NJ (2004) Eye movements in neurodevelopmental disorders. Curr Opin Neurol 17:37–42

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Van der Geest JN, Frens MA (2002) Recording eye movements with video-oculography and scleral search coils: a direct comparison of two methods. J Neurosci Methods 114:185–195

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Abadi RV, Gowen E (2004) Characteristics of saccadic intrusions. Vision Res 44:2675–2690

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sharpe JA, Herishanu YO, White OB (1982) Cerebral square wave jerks. Neurology 32:57–62

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Leigh RJ, Thurston SE, Tomsak RL, Grossman GE, Lanska DJ (1989) Effect of monocular visual loss upon stability of gaze. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:288–292

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Rohrschneider K, Becker M, Kruse FE, Fendrich T, Volcker HE (1995) Stability of fixation: results of fundus-controlled examination using the scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Ger J Ophthalmol 4:197–202

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Varma R, Deneen J, Cotter S et al (2006) The multi-ethnic pediatric eye disease study: design and methods. Ophthalmic Epidemiol 13:253–262

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Abadi RV (2006) Vision and eye movements. Clin Exp Optom 89:55–56

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Weisglas-Kuperus N, Heersema DJ, Baerts W et al (1993) Visual functions in relation with neonatal cerebral ultrasound, neurology and cognitive development in very-low-birthweight children. Neuropediatrics 24:149–154

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Skavenski AA, Hansen RM, Steinman RM, Winterson BJ (1979) Quality of retinal image stabilization during small natural and artificial body rotations in man. Vision Res 19:675–683

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Steinman RM, Haddad GM, Skavenski AA, Wyman D (1973) Miniature eye movement. Science 181:810–819

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Paus T, Babenko V, Radil T (1990) Development of an ability to maintain verbally instructed central gaze fixation studied in 8- to 10-year-old children. Int J Psychophysiol 10:53–61

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Coulter RA, Shallo-Hoffmann J (2000) The presumed influence of attention on accuracy in the developmental eye movement (DEM) test. Optom Vis Sci 77:428–432

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Eden GF, Stein JF, Wood HM, Wood FB (1994) Differences in eye movements and reading problems in dyslexic and normal children. Vision Res 34:1345–1358

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Fischer B, Hartnegg K (2000) Stability of gaze control in dyslexia. Strabismus 8:119–122

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Stein JF, Richardson AJ, Fowler MS (2000) Monocular occlusion can improve binocular control and reading in dyslexics. Brain 123(Pt 1):164–170

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Dorn L, Curkovic T, Dorn V (2005) Foveation period and waveforms of congenital ocular nystagmus. Coll Antropol 29 [Suppl 1]:99–101

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Gowen E, Abadi RV, Poliakoff E (2005) Paying attention to saccadic intrusions. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 25:810–825

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Deutschlander A, Marx E, Stephan T et al (2005) Asymmetric modulation of human visual cortex activity during 10 degrees lateral gaze (fMRI study). Neuroimage 28:4–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Petit L, Dubois S, Tzourio N et al (1999) PET study of the human foveal fixation system. Hum Brain Mapp 8:28–43

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Ygge J, Aring E, Han Y, Bolzani R, Hellstrom A (2005) Fixation stability in normal children. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1039:480–483

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Gronlund MA, Andersson S, Aring E, Hard AL, Hellstrom A (2006) Ophthalmological findings in a sample of Swedish children aged 4–15 years. Acta Ophthalmol Scand 84:169–176

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Aring E, Gronlund MA, Andersson S, Hard AL, Ygge J, Hellstrom A (2005) Strabismus and binocular functions in a sample of Swedish children aged 4–15 years. Strabismus 13:55–61

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Bolzani R, Tian S, Ygge J, Lennerstrand G (1998) A computer based system for acquisition, recording and analysis of 3D eye movement signals. In: Lennerstrand G (ed) ISA. Pergamon, New York, pp 99–102

    Google Scholar 

  30. Ygge J, Bolzani R, Tian S (1999) A computer based system for acquisition, recording and analysis of 3D eye movement signals. In: Pritchard C (ed) Transactions of the IX International Orthoptic Congress, Stockholm, Sweden, pp 91–94

  31. Kallmark FP, Ygge J (2005) Photo-induced foveal injury after viewing a solar eclipse. Acta Ophthalmol Scand 83:586–589

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Siepmann K, Reinhard J, Herzau V (2006) The locus of fixation in strabismic amblyopia changes with increasing effort of recognition as assessed by scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Acta Ophthalmol Scand 84:124–129

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Crossland MD, Sims M, Galbraith RF, Rubin GS (2004) Evaluation of a new quantitative technique to assess the number and extent of preferred retinal loci in macular disease. Vision Res 44:1537–1546

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Canice McGivern R, Mark Gibson J (2006) Characterisation of ocular fixation in humans by analysis of saccadic intrusions and fixation periods: a pragmatic approach. Vision Res 46:3741–3747

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Goossens HH, Van Opstal AJ (2000) Blink-perturbed saccades in monkey. II. Superior colliculus activity. J Neurophysiol 83:3430–3452

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Zametkin AJ, Stevens JR, Pittman R (1979) Ontogeny of spontaneous blinking and of habituation of the blink reflex. Ann Neurol 5:453–457

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Hertle RW (2005) Supranuclear eye movement disorders, acquired and neurological nystagmus, 3rd edn. In: Taylor D (ed) Paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. Elsevier, London

    Google Scholar 

  38. Herishanu YO, Sharpe JA (1981) Normal square wave jerks. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 20:268–272

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Epelboim J (1998) Gaze and retinal-image-stability in two kinds of sequential looking tasks. Vision Res 38:3773–3784

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Schor C, Hallmark W (1978) Slow control of eye position in strabismic amblyopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 17:577–581

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Schor CM, Westall C (1984) Visual and vestibular sources of fixation instability in amblyopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 25:729–738

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Mayflower Charity Foundation for Children, the Wilhelm and Martina Lundgrens Science Foundation, Föreningen de Blindas Vänner, the Margit Thyselius Foundation, Petter Silverskiöld Foundation, Research and Development Council of the Region of Göteborg and Bohuslän, and the Häggquists Foundation. The authors have no financial relationship with any of these organisations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology/Ophthalmology, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    Eva Aring, Marita Andersson Grönlund & Ann Hellström

  2. International Paediatric Growth Research Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    Ann Hellström

  3. Section of Ophthalmology and Vision, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jan Ygge

  4. Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology, Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, SE 416 85, Göteborg, Sweden

    Eva Aring

Authors
  1. Eva Aring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marita Andersson Grönlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ann Hellström
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jan Ygge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eva Aring.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aring, E., Grönlund, M.A., Hellström, A. et al. Visual fixation development in children. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 245, 1659–1665 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-007-0585-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-007-0585-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation