Guoji Yanke Zazhi (Sep 2024)
Efficacy of visual therapy in improving children's abnormal visual function with asthenopia
Abstract
AIM: To assess the clinical efficacy of visual therapy in children with abnormal visual functions and asthenopia.METHODS: Retrospective case study. The data of 57 patients(114 eyes), aged 8.25±1.94 years, who underwent visual training at the optometry center of Xi'an Children's Hospital between January 2022 and April 2023, were collected. Patient assessments before and after training included refractive errors, a visual fatigue scale questionnaire, and visual function tests. These tests included the Worth 4 Dot for binocular vision, the Von Graefe method for measuring latent strabismus at distance and near, the gradient method for assessing the accommodative convergence/accommodation(AC/A)ratio, the push-up test for convergence near point, the negative lens method for amplitude of accommodation, the cross-cylinder test for accommodative response, and the flipper test for accommodative flexibility. Training programs were tailored based on the initial assessments of visual function and asthenopia. Comparisons were made between pre-training, 1 and 3 mo post-training evaluations.RESULTS: At baseline and 1 mo post-training, the visual fatigue scores were 26.00±6.77 and 19.57±8.90, respectively(P0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were noted in the binocular amplitude of accommodation, NRA, PRA, and near phoria between 1 and 3 mo after training(all P>0.05). The visual function parameters of 30 patients with low myopia(SE: -1.99±1.22 D), 3 patients with low hyperopia(SE: +1.01±0.13 D)and 24 patients with emmetropia(SE: +0.25±0.11 D)were not statistically significant before training and at 1 mo after training(all P>0.05). Certain visual functions significantly improved at 1 mo after training, and most had returned normal by 3 mo.CONCLUSION: Vision therapy significantly enhances binocular visual function and alleviates symptoms of asthenopia in children with visual dysfunction. It is an effective, straightforward, and easily applicable method for relieving children's visual fatigue.
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