Effects of a 12-Week Home-Based Eye Movement Training Program on Visual Function in School-Aged Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Evidence regarding the effects of home-based eye-movement training (ET) on visual function in children remains limited. This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a 12-week ET program in 68 community-dwelling school-aged children assigned to intervention or control groups. Sixty-seven children were included in the analysis (intervention, n = 34; control, n = 33). The primary outcome was eye–hand coordination (EHC); secondary outcomes included horizontal moving digit identification (HDI), visuospatial working memory (VWM), and visual attention (VA). Changes were compared using analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline value, age, and gender. No significant intervention effect was observed for EHC (β = 1.190, p = 0.117). In contrast, improvement in VWM was significantly greater in the intervention group (β = 1.673, 95% CI 0.379–2.968, p = 0.012). No significant adjusted between-group differences were observed for HDI or VA. Older age was associated with greater improvements in all visual function measures, whereas lower baseline values were associated with greater improvements in HDI, VWM, and VA. These findings suggest that 12-week home-based ET may improve VWM but not EHC and that age and initial performance should be considered when evaluating visual function interventions in children. Trial registration: jRCT1032250379.