# Reading and eye-hand coordination in amblyopic children

> **NIH NIH R00** · RETINA FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTHWEST · 2021 · $224,997

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular vision impairment among children, affecting 2 or 3 of every
100 children. Amblyopia commonly results when there is binocularly discordant input associated with
strabismus or anisometropia during visual development. Sensory and oculomotor deficits are well-established
in the amblyopia literature; yet, the functional consequences of amblyopia on the developing visuocognitive
and visuomotor systems are less known. Initial studies show slow reading and poor fine motor ability in
amblyopic children and adults, even when they have one eye with normal visual acuity under binocular viewing
conditions. Yet, causes of these impairments remain poorly understood. Strabismic and anisometropic
children, with or without amblyopia, between the ages of 4-12 years will be enrolled and compared to a group
of normal control children. Three projects will be conducted in these groups of children. Eye movements during
reading will be evaluated using the EyeLink 1000 binocular eye tracking system, and temporal eye-hand
coordination during visually-guided reach-to-point and during visually-guided precision grasp will be evaluated
using the EyeLink 1000 and the LEAP Motion capture device. These studies will determine how sensory
deficits (visual acuity, stereoacuity, suppression), oculomotor dysfunction (gaze instability, abnormal
saccades), and deficits in visual planning and guidance of hand movements affect reading, reaching and
grasping in amblyopic children under binocular conditions. Data from the proposed experiments will determine
the consequences of abnormal visual experience during development on the visuocognitive and visuomotor
systems, provide information on sensory and motor integration during maturation, and aid in determining more
effective amblyopia treatments and academic accommodations that allow amblyopic children to thrive.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10245043
- **Project number:** 5R00EY028224-05
- **Recipient organization:** RETINA FOUNDATION OF THE SOUTHWEST
- **Principal Investigator:** Krista Rose Kelly
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $224,997
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10245043

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10245043, Reading and eye-hand coordination in amblyopic children (5R00EY028224-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10245043. Licensed CC0.

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