Eye Movement Program Consisting of Saccadic Eye Movement and Pursuit Eye Movement Improved Visual Memory in Institutionalized Elderly Person: Randomized controlled pilot study

Background: Aging reduces cognitive abilities, including visual memory (VM) and visual discrimination (VD). Since common cortical networks subserve eye movement and attention, voluntary eye movement may improve visual attention. Visual selective attention was major role for memory, and visual memory and visual attention are intimately related. Objective: To identify the improvement in VD and VM, after implementing the eye movement program consisting of saccadic eye movement (SEM) and pursuit eye movement (PEM) in the institutionalized healthy elderly. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: The study involved a sample of 36 participants, and the mean age was 79.03 years (range 76~84 years). They were randomly allocated to the experimental group (n=16) and control group (n=20). Participants in the experimental group performed SEM 5 times per week for 4 weeks: twice daily at the same time in the morning and afternoon. The program was carried out for 3 minutes, and it consisted of SEM and PEM. The target's moving frequency was set at 0.5 Hz. VM and VD at the baseline and post-intervention were measured using Motor-Free Visual Perception test-4 (MFVPT-4). Results: VM significantly improved in the experimental group (p < .01), and significant differences were observed compared to the control group (p < .01). There was no significant change in VD. Conclusion: The eye movement program consisting of SEM and PEM increased VM more than VD. Therefore, eye movement program was feasible interventions for improving VM in institutionalized elderly persons.