Balance in subjects with congenital or early onset strabismus: Influence of age.
Few studies have investigated the relationship between strabismus and balance, and those that do exist focused on patients within a limited age range, while no studies on possible age-related changes have yet been conducted. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate whether the balance strategies adopted by patients with congenital or early onset strabismus change with age. Forty strabismic patients and 36 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Both patients and healthy subjects were divided into three subgroups according to age (children, adolescents, and adults) and underwent a stabilometric evaluation. When we compared the whole group of strabismic patients with the group of healthy subjects, we found that the center of pressure area and the trunk oscillations in the former were significantly different from those in the latter; when we considered the three age groups separately, only values in children with strabismus were different from those in the age-matched control group of healthy subjects. Strabismus was found to affect balance in children by inducing a postural strategy characterized by a reduction in physiological trunk oscillations. Gaining a better insight into postural control in strabismic subjects and its evolution with age may be crucial to improving rehabilitation in such patients and planning tailored rehabilitation treatment.
Department of Surgical Sciences of Head and Neck, Institute of Ophtalmology, Catholic University, Largo F. Vito, 1 00168 Rome, Italy.
Anna
A
Dickmann
Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20121 Milan, Italy.
Enrica
E
Di Sipio
Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20121 Milan, Italy.
Chiara
C
Simbolotti
Department of Surgical Sciences of Head and Neck, Institute of Ophtalmology, Catholic University, Largo F. Vito, 1 00168 Rome, Italy.
Antonio
A
Agresta
Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20121 Milan, Italy.
Marco
M
Germanotta
Department of Surgical Sciences of Head and Neck, Institute of Ophtalmology, Catholic University, Largo F. Vito, 1 00168 Rome, Italy.
Costanza
C
Tredici
Ophthalmology Department, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Via Torre di Palidoro snc, Passoscuro, 00050 Rome, Italy.
Sergio
S
Petroni
Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20121 Milan, Italy; Neuroscience Department of Catholic University, Largo F. Vito, 1 00168 Rome, Italy.
Luca
L
Padua
Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Piazzale Morandi 6, 20121 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: iaprile@dongnocchi.it.
Irene
I
Aprile
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013285:Strabismus / Q000151:congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
Age-related changes; Balance; Center of pressure; Rehabilitation; Strabismus; Trunk oscillation