title: Age related changes in ocular motor testing in healthy subjects.
abstract: The aim of the present study was the investigation of age influenced changes in ocular motility testing in healthy subjects. Two hundred and fifty subjects between 18 and 70 years old were enrolled in a prospective study. Study population was divided in 5 groups of 50 subjects each (group A: 18-30 years old, group B: 31-40 years old, group C: 41-50 years old, group D: 51-60 years old and group E: 61-70 years old). Ocular motility was recorded by video-oculography and age related normative data were obtained with respect to: a) gain and slow phase velocity of smooth pursuit tracking, b) latency, velocity and accuracy of saccade eye movements and c) gain and slow phase velocity of optokinetic eye movements. The influence of age on all parameters was examined by one-way ANOVA. A statistically significant difference was found in all parameters analyzed for smooth pursuit test, saccade eye movements and optokinetic eye movements in between groups. In conclusion, aging influences the majority of the parameters in ocular motility testing, carried out by means of video-oculography. Elderly healthy subjects showed a deterioration of performance in all parameters of the eye tracking tested. Age must be taken into account during interpretation of the eye tracking tests, especially in patients with central nervous system lesions.
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology Department, General Hospital of Chania, Greece.
authors.forename: Fokion
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seferlis
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology Department, General Hospital of Chania, Greece.
authors.forename: Theognosia S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Chimona
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology Department, General Hospital of Chania, Greece.
authors.forename: Chariton E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Papadakis
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology Department, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bizakis
authors.affiliation: First Otolaryngology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Triaridis
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology Department, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Charalambos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Skoulakis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003290:Convergence, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017120:Nystagmus, Optokinetic / Q000502:physiology; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; eye tracking; ocular motility testing; optokinetic eye movements; saccade eye movements; smooth pursuit tracking; video-oculography