Effect of visual information from binocular vision on the motor control of step over obstacles in walking with 90° turn.
Miku Sato, Kana Yamada, Makoto Sasaki
PMID 37266366WHAT IT FOUND
Covering one eye did not produce a difference in toe or heel clearance when stepping over an obstacle after a 90° turn.
The main viewing comparison showed no difference. Only one foot-pressure timing differed.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in toe or heel clearance between binocular and monocular viewing in either stationary or approaching conditions.
02In binocular viewing, toe clearance was significantly smaller when participants approached the obstacle while walking than when they stood before walking: 7.64 ± 2.27 cm versus 9.00 ± 2.69 cm.
03The only significant binocular-versus-monocular foot-pressure difference was shorter midfoot ground contact time during the approaching condition: 0.39 ± 0.21 s monocularly versus 0.55 ± 0.20 s binocularly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
It was a laboratory walking task, and the authors state that real-life applicability is unclear. Participants were 25 healthy adults with no history of more than two falls, visual impairment, orthopedic disease, or neurological disease. The mean age was 21.4 ± 1.1 years, so the sample was young despite the 18-to-64-year age range. The right eye was always patched on the side of the 90° turn, so the effect of covering an eye cannot be separated from the side of visual loss during the turn. The paper does not explicitly name one primary outcome, and several outcomes were measured, so the main result must be inferred from the stated hypothesis.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No funding or sponsor involvement is reported in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that binocular vision prevents falls or that patching one eye is unsafe in patients. The main binocular-versus-monocular clearance comparison showed no difference, the study was in healthy adults in a lab, and no clinical outcome was tested.