Plantar pressure distribution and postural balance in amblyopic children

Purpose: To evaluate plantar pressure distribution and postural balance in amblyopic children. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out with 36 children aged 8-14 years who were clinically diagnosed with amblyopia and 36 healthy controls selected similar to the age and gender distribution of these patients. Eye examination of all individuals was performed and BCVA was recorded with Snellen chart. Then, both groups were measured with a pressure platform device (Footscan, Belgium) for foot pressure measurements and balance analysis. Finally, a smartphone application (Recognise Hand®) was used to determine right/left hand discrimination in both groups and the results were recorded. Results: Static right rearfoot pressure was found to be significantly higher in the study group (p=0.015). Considering the dynamic pressures, RM3 (p=0.042) and RMF (p=0.021) pressures were found to be significantly higher in the study group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of balance, except for one parameter (IGARA-Y was higher in the study group, p=0.028). Considering the age-related balance parameters, it was found that the balance became more stabilized as the age increased in all groups. In addition, it was observed that stabilization was better in the balance positions on both feet compared to the positions on one foot in all groups (p<0.001). When the hand discrimination test was examined, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: According to this study, it was concluded that the foot pressures of children with amblyopia may be different from normal and there is no significant difference in terms of balance. More studies are needed to obtain more reliable results. Keywords: Amblyopia, Foot Pressure, Balance