Kinetic Movement Analysis in Adults with Vision Loss

The purpose of this investigation was to assess movement capabilities of adults with visual impairments in comparison to sighted peers. Thirty participants (n = 15 visually impaired; n = 15 without vision loss) were age and gender matched and assesed on three functional movement measures. A Walk Across, Forward Lunge, and Sit to Stand were completed on a long force plate and analyzed using Group MANOVAs. Individuals with visual impairment were more cautious and conservative in their movement as evident by signifigantly reduced performance on both the Walk Across assessment and the Forward Lunge task. Performance between groups was similar on the Sit to Stand manuver. It was concluded that individuals with visual impairments are more cautious and have more difficulty performing tasks when their center of gravity is outside of their base of support.