Impact of Eye Movement Exercise on Step Length and Step Width in Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegic Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neuromuscular developmental disorder occurred due to non-progressive prenatal brain injury. It leads to permanent motor impairments affecting posture and movement. Spastic diplegic CP is the most common type (30-40%), characterized by difficulties with posture and gait control.
Purpose: To explore the effectiveness of eye movement training exercises on step length and step width in CP spastic diplegic children. Patients and Methods: This study included 42 children aged 4 to 7 years diagnosed with spastic diplegia. They were randomly allocated into two groups equal in number. Both groups underwent a selected gait training program, 4 times weekly for six consecutive weeks. While, the study group performed eye movement exercises alongside the gait training. Gait function and ocular movement for all participants were evaluated using footprint analysis and the Ocular Motor Score (OMS).
Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in step length and step width after treatment (p < 0.05). However, comparing both groups indicated significantly greater improvement after treatment in favor of the study group (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This prospective study showed positive outcomes from six weeks of gait training combined with eye movement exercises in CP children with spastic diplegia.