Peer-reviewed article
Effects of Physical Exercise Combined with Accommodative Training on Visual Acuity and Ocular Biometric Parameters in Children Aged 6-7.
Wang M, Yin R, Shi H, Zhu G, Niu K et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether physical exercise combined with eye-muscle training improves vision in first-grade children aged 6-7 years. Over 32 weeks, 163 children in intact school classes either participated in a special physical education program with visual accommodation tasks or standard physical education. The intervention group showed significantly better distance and kinetic visual acuity after the program, though eye structure measurements remained similar between groups.
Key points
- Experimental group (n=82) showed significantly better uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) than control group (n=81) after 32-week intervention
- Kinetic visual acuity (KVA) also improved significantly in the experimental group post-intervention
- No significant between-group differences were found at baseline or mid-intervention points
- Ocular biometric parameters (axial length, corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth) showed normal development patterns with no harmful effects
- Both groups showed time effects for ocular measurements, indicating normal growth trajectories independent of intervention
Limitations
The document does not specify the country where the study was conducted. The study uses intact school classes rather than individual randomisation, which may introduce confounding factors related to classroom differences.
Abstract
Promoting visual health in early childhood is crucial for visual development, and effective school-based interventions are urgently needed. This study examined the effects of physical exercise combined with accommodative training on visual acuity and ocular biometric parameters in children aged 6-7 years. A total of 163 first-grade students were allocated by intact classes to an experimental group (n = 82), which received a 32-week physical exercise program incorporating visual tasks designed to stimulate ciliary-muscle accommodation, or a control group (n = 81), which received standard physical education. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), kinetic visual acuity (KVA), axial length (AL), corneal curvature (CC), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention. Significant time effects and time × group interactions were observed for UDVA and KVA (all p < 0.05). Although no between-group differences were found at baseline or mid-intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly better UDVA and KVA than the control group after the intervention. Significant time effects were observed for AL, CC, and ACD, but no significant between-group differences were detected. These findings suggest that physical exercise combined with accommodative training can effectively enhance visual function in young children, while ocular biometric parameters maintain stable growth trajectories consistent with normal pediatric development.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- 32-week school-based physical exercise program combined with visual accommodation training tasks
- Population
- First-grade children aged 6-7 years (163 students across intact school classes)
Key finding
Experimental group demonstrated significantly better UDVA than control group post-intervention (p<0.05)
M et al. · Europe PMC · 15 Sept 2026