Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, September 1999, Volume 19, Issue 3

Bedside Tests of Saccades after Head Injury

OBJECTIVES: To compare the techniques of bedside and infrared oculographic tests of saccades and to compare the results of both tests in control subjects and in patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors elicited single memory-guided saccades, antisaccades, and self-paced saccades in 19 TBI subjects and 26 age-matched control subjects at the bedside. Taped instructions were used to ensure that the timing and sequence of each stimulus (index finger flexion) were the same in all subjects and as close as possible to those used in both the current and previous laboratory studies. RESULTS: Self-paced saccade rate was significantly decreased in patients with TBI. The increased error rate in single memory-guided saccades and antisaccades was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that the bedside saccade tests have limited value in patients with TBI because of the range of results and large overlap of the distributions of these two groups. The number of parameters that can be measured is limited. Bedside saccade tests are easier than infrared oculographic tests because the target remains visible.