February 1, 2024

Oculomotor Control/Dysfunction

There are six muscles around each eye. Oculomotor Dysfunction occurs when these six muscles around each eye are not properly coordinated.

WHAT IS OCULOMOTOR DYSFUNCTION?

There are six muscles around each eye. These six muscles work together in an extremely sophisticated manner in order to accurately control eye movements. Oculomotor Dysfunction occurs when these muscles are not properly coordinated. The causes of Oculomotor Dysfunction range from slow development to disease of the central nervous system. An eye exam easily diagnoses this condition.

If one’s oculomotor muscles are ineffective, he may have difficulty reading–he may easily lose his place or repeat sentences. People with this condition may also have difficulty with balance, depth perception, sports, or hand eye coordination. Virtually every task requires good control of eye movements.

Eye movements essential to proper eye function include:

  • Smooth Pursuits – the ability to stabilize gaze and follow a moving object with the eyes accurately;
  • Saccades – the ability to jump your eyes from one target to another accurately. Saccades are necessary for tracking skills while reading or copying information. In order to process visual information properly, the eyes must move smoothly and quickly from one object to another. Saccades are crucial to the ability of the visual system to perceive and interpret images. When smoothly tracking with the eyes, the eyes must also be able to cross the midline of the body without hesitation;
  • Convergence/Divergence – the ability of the eyes to move inward/outward in order to focus on an object as it moves near/far. To look at an object close up, the eyes rotate towards each other (convergence), while for an object farther away they rotate away from each other (divergence). These movements are crucial for near point gaze shifting, such as reading, and for far point gaze shifting, such as copying from the board.

WHAT ARE SOME SYMPTOMS OF OCULOMOTOR DYSFUNCTION?

If your child is having a hard time consciously controlling the movements of his eye or eyes, some of the resulting signs and symptoms can appear:

  • Increased activity level
  • Difficulty with visual attention
  • Decreased visual perception
  • Poor visual attention to detail
  • Poor visual memory
  • Difficulties copying from his paper or from the board to his paper
  • Difficulties concentrating and maintaining attention on school work/an activity (i.e. drawing, coloring, cutting, puzzles, reading, writing, etc.) in front of him
  • Difficulties scanning when trying to find objects in competing backgrounds (i.e. finding his shoes in a messy room).
  • Reduced efficiency and/or productivity
  • Loss of place, repetition, and/or omission of words and/or lines of print while reading
  • Spatial disorientation
  • Need to utilize a marker in order to avoid loss of place
  • Distractibility while performing visually demanding tasks
  • Diminished accuracy
  • Difficulty sustaining near visual function
  • General fatigue
  • Abnormal postural adaptation/abnormal working distance
  • Incoordination/clumsiness
  • Inaccurate/inconsistent/poor work product
  • Inaccurate eye-hand coordination

OUR APPROACH AT NORTH SHORE PEDIATRIC THERAPY

When oculomotor control issues are detected, our occupational therapist will first refer your child to a developmental optometrist for definitive testing and a prescribed treatment plan for improving his ocular skills. We then design a specific treatment regimen which not only alleviates symptoms, but addresses any underlying conditions that may exist. Oculomotor dysfunction is most often due to a faulty development of muscle control, so a program of coordinating or strengthening activities is prescribed in a vision therapy program. Many ocular motor dysfunctions require optometric vision therapy/orthoptics to develop accurate and effective eye teaming, as this condition rarely resolves when left untreated. Treatment duration depends on the particular patient’s condition. At the conclusion of the active treatment regimen, periodic follow-up evaluations are required. We may even prescribe therapeutic lenses to assist in maintaining long-term stability.

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Although we talk about our services here, our highest goal is for you to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about picking a provider that is the best fit for your needs. You are making a decision that will impact the entire trajectory of your child’s life!
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Success looks different for every child... But we bet we have a story that matches your child's needs. Like James, who started with us as non-speaking and lacking the ability to initiate and maintain social interactions. Today, he can speak complete sentences, clearly state his needs, and navigate social interactions with his friends!

Our infant daughter was in physical therapy with Anna Zahn for about five months.  Anna was consistent, patient, and wonderful with our daughter.  Anna was also clear in her communications with us as parents which helped us understand our daughter's progress and needs, as well as how we could help our daughter at home.  While we are proud that our daughter graduated PT, we will miss Anna's warmth and kindness.

Emily

I love this place! Chista is an amazing person, so sweet and kind and very professional in her work. All staff are very kind with children. I feel happy to find this place for my daughter. Thank you!!!

Maria Di Rita

I cannot say enough nice things about the staff! My son worked with Khadija as his ABA therapist and is finishing up this week with his OT, Sabrina. They were really instrumental in helping us navigate a new diagnosis. Both were so easy to approach with questions. From Leeann at the front desk to the RBTs (Alex, Rabbia, Molly, and many others), we always felt so welcomed. It seems like the staff genuinely enjoy their jobs, consistently offering feedback and suggestions on how to help my son.

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We have been working with the amazing team at NSPT for many years. They have been essential in understanding and supporting our child. I recommend their services to anyone looking for their specific type of support.Posted to

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They are so sweet and kinds persons with professionalism and really worried about the kids and how help they to get new skills and moving forward with knowledge.

Alejandra M.

NSPT is fantastic! All of the staff are wonderful, accomodating, and make you feel welcome and comfortable. Alan is fantastic - he has helped our family tremendously and has such patience and purpose in everything he does.

Alex Ehrhardt

North Shore Pediatric Therapy has been amazing.  They have done a great job adjusting to the specific needs of my autistic child.

Matt Nakanishi

My 12 yr old son has a lovely support team in Robert (Social Work) and Lindsay (OT)! He gains so much from his sessions & I gain so much from the communication and brainstorming! Thanks!

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