INTRODUCTION: Vision is considered one of the most important means of capturing the information from the environment. It is central to the process of child development. OBJECTIVES: Aware of the contribution of vision on balance maintenance and on human biopsychosocial development, and considering the factors resulting from loss or impairment of vision, this research objected to analyze the balance on orthostatic posture of low vision children, from 8 to 11 years old, of both genders (experimental group) comparing with normal children balance of both genders and same age (control group) using stabilometric parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stabilometric plataform was used to measure the postural oscillations (radial displacement and displacement speed). RESULTS: Considering the experimental and control groups radial displacement rates (media and standard diversion), it could be observed that there was no significant difference on the closed eyes condition (p > 0,05). On the opened eyes condition, there was a bigger radial displacement of the experimental group comparing to the control group (p < 0,05). Analysing the displacement speed rates of the control and experimental groups, it could be observed that in both conditions (closed and opened eyes) the control group presented the higher displacement speed when compared to the experimental one (p < 0,01). CONCLUSION: After the presented results, we concluded that low vision might have a negative influence on the orthostatic posture stability as well as on the postural adjustment speed, damaging the body balance.
Children; Low vision; Visual impairment; Balance; Stabilometry
