Dynamic Visual Acuity and Gaze Stabilization in Collegiate Athletes and Non-Athletes to Establish Baseline Values for Concussion Management

Margaret Roller, Aimie Kachingwe, Witaya Mathiyakom
Purpose:

To determine if there are differences in dynamic vision scores between collegiate athletes and non-athletes with and without a history of concussion. To establish baseline reference values for tests of dynamic visual acuity and gaze stabilization in collegiate athletes and non-athletes.

Methods:

One hundred forty-five (145) subjects volunteered to participate in this study, including 100 collegiate Division 1 athletes competing in soccer, basketball, water polo, and volleyball (19.88±SD years old), and 45 non-athlete college graduate physical therapy students (25.31±SD years old). Twenty-five (25) of the 100 athletes repeated all tests one year apart. Dynamic vision was assessed using the Bertec® Vision AdvantageTM system, which included a computerized static visual acuity (SVA) test, visual processing time (VPT) test, Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) test, and a Gaze Stabilization Test (GST). Statistical analyses were performed to determine differences between athletes and non-athletes on the SVA, VPT, DVA, and GST. Between-group differences were compared using Mann-Whitney U and Independent t-tests. For the 25 athlete subjects who repeated testing twice, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test and paired t-test were used for between-test comparison.

Results:

Between-group differences were found. Athletes had significantly better SVA (-0.22±SD LogMAR) than non-athletes (-0.14±SD LogMAR) (p0.001). Athletes performed significantly worse (1.57±SD lines lost) than non-athletes (1.13±SD lines lost) on the DVA right (p=0.018). There were no significant differences found between athletes and non-athletes for VPT (ms), DVA left (LogMAR and lines lost), DVA right (LogMAR), or GST (°/sec). Athlete subjects who repeated tests one year apart demonstrated significantly better SVA scores on Test 1 (-0.23±SD LogMAR) than Test 2 (-0.17±SD LogMAR) (p0.008), and significantly better DVA right scores on Test 2 (0.94±SD lines lost) than Test 1 (1.66±SD lines lost) (p=0.006). There were no significant differences found between Test 1 and Test 2 for these athletes for VPT (ms), DVA left (LogMAR and lines lost), DVA right (LogMAR), or GST (°/sec).

Conclusion(s):

College athletes with and without a history of concussion exhibited superior static visual acuity (SVA) compared to non-athlete students. The differences in line loss for dynamic visual acuity (DVA) fell within established norms for both groups (athletes and non-athletes) and were found to be insignificant. Both groups were able to process visual information quickly (VPT) and see clearly with the head moving at speeds up to 150 °/sec (GST).

Implications:

Since scores on dynamic vision tests for both collegiate athletes and non-athletes were found to be similar, these results may be used as baseline reference values during concussion management, allowing for more comprehensive pre- and post-concussion vision testing, and to guide return-to-play readiness assessments in concussed athletes.

Funding acknowledgements:
Intramural funding was granted by the Office of Graduate Studies at California State University, Northridge, USA.
Keywords:
Concussion Management
Dynamic Vision
Collegiate Athletes
Primary topic:
Sport and sports injuries
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
This study was approved by the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects at California State University, Northridge.
Provide the ethics approval number:
IRB-FY20-339
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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