Sideline vision tests often used to detect immediate signs of concussion may give false results for athletes who speak English as a second language.
A new study showed significantly slower vision test times for healthy non-native English speaking participants compared with native English speakers. Further, the computerized eye tracker used in the study also showed that the number of rapid eye movements, known as saccades, were significantly higher in the ESL group than the native English speakers.
The findings could have important implications, particularly amid growing evidence of vision testing’s potential to positively detect concussions on sidelines and its increasing use at games and practices.
4 Million Concussions a Year
“These results highlight important disparities that language has on results of sideline vision testing, which are becoming more utilized in sports,” says study coauthor Joel Birkemeier, a postdoctoral research fellow at New York University’s Rusk Rehabilitation. “When performing sideline vision tests, clinicians and trainers may need to first take into account how language may affect score results.”
