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. 2022 Jul 20;12(7):954.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci12070954.

Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) and King-Devick (K-D) Performance in Multiple Sclerosis

Amparo Gil-Casas  1   2 , David P Piñero-Llorens  2 , Ainhoa Molina-Martín  2
Affiliations

Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) and King-Devick (K-D) Performance in Multiple Sclerosis

Amparo Gil-Casas et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Eye movement disorders have been reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as saccadic disturbances. Several methods have been described for the assessment of saccades, including the K-D and DEM tests. The performance of these tests also involves attention, language, and other brain areas which have been reported to be altered in MS patients. The aim of the study was to determine how developmental eye movement (DEM) and King-Devick (K-D) tests are affected in MS-patients. It was also to analyze whether a resolved episode of optic neuritis (ON) has a negative influence. Subjects with MS showed worse outcomes (higher times) in DEM test (72 (26) s and a K-D test (56 (22) s compared to healthy subjects (64 (7) s and 55 (11) s, respectively). However, a previous ON episode did not worsen the MS-times of DEM (80 (33) s or of K-D (62 (33) s. Horizontal saccades with the DEM showed differences between subjects with MS (with and without ON) and healthy ones (p < 0.05), whereas no such differences were found in the vertical saccades. According to the DEM instructions, MS patients would present heterogeneous oculomotor and non-visual disturbances. Regarding the K-D test, only the third card (the most complex one) showed differences (p < 0.05) between groups. These tests can capture impairment of attention, language, and other areas that correlate with suboptimal brain function in addition to the oculomotor dysfunctions present in subjects with MS.

Keywords: DEM; K-D test; eye movement; multiple sclerosis; reading; saccades.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
2 and 3 of the K-D test per groups. Statistically significant differences were marked with an asterisk (*).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Time spent in completing the cards 1, 2 and 3 of DEM test per group. Cards 1 and 2 were read vertically with different combinations of numbers and separations (V1 and V2), whereas card 3 was read horizontally (H). Statistically significant differences are marked with an asterisk (*).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of the patients classified according to DEM instructions. MSON: group of multiple sclerosis with previous optic neuritis. MS: multiple sclerosis group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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