See Also:
PURPOSE:
The purpose of these activities is to help the patient develop understanding of how the eyes move, the ability to control these movements in a coordinated and effortless manner, and the ability to visually anticipate movement or change. Quality eye movements direct and are necessary in the intelligent purposeful movement of the body, from walking to fine motor control in writing.
Materials: Marsden Ball.
Procedure:
Activity 1
1.The patient stands in good balance.
2. The home assistant holds the ball and stands 6 feet away from the patient, directly in front.
3. The patient is instructed to keep his/her eyes on the ball at all times.
4. The home assistant gently releases the ball.
5. The patient must move either to the right or left to avoid being hit by the ball.
6. The goal is for performance to be equally good with initial movement to the right or to the left, and for eye contact with the ball at all times.
Activity 2
1. The home assistant releases the ball and the patient must step to one side to let the ball pass.
2. The patient then moves quickly to the other side so that the ball swings back on the patient’s opposite side on its return swing.
3. No running forward or complete turns are allowed, and eyes should remain on the ball at all times.
