Head eye coordination using simultaneous measurement of eye in head and head in space movements: potential for use in subjects with a whiplash injury
From: J Clin Monit Comput. 2009 Feb;23(1):31-40. Epub 2009 Feb 7
Sudden acceleration and deceleration forces acting on the head, such as during a motor vehicle collision, may cause neck injuries with soft tissue damage as a result. Such injuries are defined by the Quebec Task Force as whiplash associated disorders. The primary symptoms are neck pain and restricted neck movement. Dizziness and complaints of blurred vision or difficulty reading occur in some patients. Difficulty with driving, an important functional task, is common and might also be related to altered visual control.
The article published in the Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing describes reproducibility of a measurement method to investigate deficits in eye head coordination. Combined recordings of head and eye rotation using wireless motion sensors and electro-oculography were used as an initial step towards a method to quantify eye head coordination deficits. Head rotation to the side during gaze fixation and sequential head and eye movements were studied on 20 asymptomatic control subjects and six subjects with chronic whiplash disorders. All included whiplash subjects reported eye disturbances according to a vision symptom questionnaire.
The trial-to-trial reproducibility was moderate to high for 24 of 28 variables. Velocity gain (ratio of eye and head velocities) was on average close to unity in both groups. Head stability was high in control subjects, while three of six whiplash subjects demonstrated head instability during eye movement. Whiplash subjects also demonstrated a decreased range of head movement during gaze fixation and lower head velocities as compared with the asymptomatics.
The method of combined head and eye motion appears to give accurate, repeatable measurements. Case studies of whiplash subjects indicated deficits in head eye coordination. The method could be useful in further clinical research into eye and head movement in those with neck disorders.
