Effects of balance, coordination, and strength training in children with low vision: a randomized controlled study.
Gülcan SE, Kavlak E. · Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2026
Objective: To investigate the effects of an eight-week physiotherapy program focusing on balance, coordination, and muscle strengthening on gait, mobility, posture, and motor proficiency in children with low vision.
Methods: Twenty-two children aged 7-14 years with ophthalmologist-diagnosed low vision, based on World Health Organization criteria, were randomly assigned to treatment (n=10) or control (n=12) groups. The treatment group completed three 75-minute sessions per week for eight weeks, including balance, coordination, and muscle-strengthening exercises. Outcomes were assessed using the BOT-2 Short Form, New York Posture Assessment Test, Lovett muscle grading, and BTS G-Walk. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 25.0.
Results: The treatment group showed significant pre- to post-intervention gains in total BOT-2 SF scores and in subscales related to fine motor integration, bilateral coordination, running speed, agility, and strength (p
Conclusions: An eight-week, thrice-weekly physiotherapy-based balance, coordination, and strengthening program improves motor proficiency, posture, gait, and muscle strength in children with low vision, supporting its use in pediatric rehabilitation.