Ocular Motor Function in Children with Spastic Hemiplegia Evaluated by the Ocular Motor Score.

PURPOSE: To assess the ocular motor functions in children with spastic hemiplegia by using the Ocular Motor Score (OMS).

MATERIAL: This study included 34 children, median age 11 years. The children were divided into 3 groups according to the underlying brain lesion; group 1 malformations, group 2 white matter damage of immaturity (WMDI), and group 3 cortical/subcortical lesions.

METHODS: The OMS protocol consists of 15 different subtests evaluating ocular motor functions. The OMS is divided into 2 parts, a static and a dynamic. The results from each subtest are scored 0, 0.3, 0.5, or 1, according to the level of disturbance, where 0 corresponds to normal function and 1 represents the maximum disability in the certain subtest. A total OMS (tOMS) between 0 and 15 can be obtained.

RESULTS: The median tOMS in the whole spastic hemiplegia group was 2.5 (range 1.3-5.8). The highest median tOMS 5.2 was seen in group 1, in the children with malformations. Strabismus was found in 45% (15/34) of the children, with an equal percentage in all 3 groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The children with spastic hemiplegia had a median tOMS of 2.7 and the highest median tOMS was seen in children with malformations. The OMS protocol is easy to use clinically and gives a quick overview of the patient´s ocular motor functions.