II. General

  1. Child fixates on an object and follows movement
  2. Eye movement out of alignment may be normal prior to 2 to 4 months of age

III. Indication

  1. Test for Amblyopia
  2. Nonverbal or Preverbal children (reliable after 3 months of age)
    1. Infants can fixate on a face as early as 6 weeks of age
    2. Infants can fix and follow an object as early as 8 weeks of age

IV. Technique

  1. Child sitting in parent's lap
  2. Interesting object presented at arms length
    1. Young Infants: examiner's face or penlight
    2. Older infants to toddlers: toys or bright colors
  3. Move object through child's fields of gaze
    1. Repeat procedure with one eye covered
  4. Avoid frightening child when covering eye
    1. Use thumb or parent's hand

V. Interpretation: Amblyopia present

  1. Child consistently cries when good eye covered
  2. Does not protest when amblyopic eye is covered
  3. Child may tilt head to compensate for Amblyopia

VI. Indication: Referral

  1. Abnormal fixation and following by 3 months
  2. Signs of Amblyopia or strabsimus

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Related Studies

Ontology: Fixation, Ocular (C0016183)

Definition (CSP) direction of the gaze so that the visual image of the object falls on the fovea centralis.
Definition (MSH) The positioning and accommodation of eyes that allows the image to be brought into place on the FOVEA CENTRALIS of each eye.
Concepts Organ or Tissue Function (T042)
MSH D005403
SnomedCT 8176002, 251784001
English Fixation, Ocular, Ocular Fixation, visual fixation, Ocular Focusing, Focusing, Ocular, Fixation of vision, Fixation of vision, function (observable entity), Ocular fixation, Ocular fixation observable (observable entity), Ocular fixation observable, Fixation of vision (function), Visual Fixation
Swedish Blickfixering
Spanish observación de fijación ocular, fijación de la visión, fijación de la visión (entidad observable), característica observable de la fijación ocular (entidad observable), característica observable de la fijación ocular, fijación de la visión (función), fijación ocular, observación de fijación ocular (entidad observable), Enfoque Ocular, Fijación Ocular
Czech fixace oční
Finnish Tähtäys
Russian GLAZNAIA FIKSATSIIA, FIKSATSIIA GLAZNAIA, ZRITEL'NAIA FIKSATSIIA, ГЛАЗНАЯ ФИКСАЦИЯ, ЗРИТЕЛЬНАЯ ФИКСАЦИЯ, ФИКСАЦИЯ ГЛАЗНАЯ
Italian Focalizzazione oculare, Fissazione oculare
Polish Fiksacja oczu
Japanese 固視, 凝視, 注視, 視線固定, 固定-視線
Norwegian Okulær fokusering, Fiksering, øye, Fokusering, øye, Okulær fiksering, Fokusering, okulær
French Fixation oculaire
German Fixierung, okuläre, Fokussierung, okuläre, Okuläre Fixation
Dutch Fixatie, oculaire, Oculaire fixatie, Scherpstellen van het oog
Portuguese Enfoque Ocular, Fixação Ocular