The Effects of Eye Exercises on Eye-Hand Coordination, Cognitive Functions and Balance Ability of the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TL;DR

This study found that specific eye exercises, like Gaze Stability Exercises, can improve cognitive function and balance in elderly people, but not eye-hand coordination.

Contribution

The study introduces Gaze Stability Exercises as a novel method to enhance balance and cognitive function in the elderly.

Findings

The GSE group showed significantly greater improvements in cognitive function and dynamic balance compared to the control group.

Both groups improved in eye-hand coordination and cognitive function, but no significant difference was found in eye-hand coordination between groups.

Preliminary findings suggest consistent eye exercises can improve motor and cognitive skills in the elderly.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of eye exercises on eye-hand coordination, cognitive function, and balance in sixty elderly participants aged 60–70 years who were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group performed Gaze Stability Exercises (GSE) for 50 min per session, while the control group performed eyeball exercises for 10 min. Both groups trained twice a week for four weeks. Assessments of eye-hand coordination, cognitive function, and balance were conducted before and after the intervention. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for baseline scores and gender, was used for between-group comparisons. ANCOVA revealed that the GSE group showed significantly greater improvements in cognitive function and dynamic balance compared to the control group (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found between the groups for eye-hand coordination. Within-group comparisons showed that both groups improved in eye-hand coordination and cognitive function (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that eye exercises, including GSEs and eyeball exercises, can enhance eye-hand coordination and cognitive function in elderly individuals. The dynamic balance improvements observed only in the experimental group highlight the potential of GSEs in balance training. Preliminary findings indicate that consistent eye exercise help improve motor and cognitive skills in the elderly, which requires further study.

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