Correlations between color perception and motor function impairment in children with spastic cerebral palsy

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to evaluate color perception thresholds and relate them to the degree of motor impairment in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). METHODS: Binocular and monocular chromaticity discrimination thresholds were estimated for the protan, deutan, and tritan color confusion axes in 43 SCP children aged 6–15 years who were classified as tetraplegic (n = 12), diplegic (n = 16), and hemiplegic (n = 15) without ophthalmological complaints. Motor impairment was rated according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) in five levels of severity. RESULTS: Analysis of variance showed significantly reduced discrimination in tetraplegic children (p < 0.001) compared with the diplegic, hemiplegic, and control groups. We also found a positive correlation between chromaticity discrimination thresholds and GMFCS ratings in all of the groups. DISCUSSION: Chromaticity discrimination thresholds measured psychophysically were reduced for all three color confusion axis in tetraplegic children compared with normal children. Diplegic and hemiplegic children had similar results as normal children. The finding of a correlation between quantified motor impairment and color discrimination losses in SCP patients is a new observation that might help elucidate the causes of color perception loss in these patients. Visual information is essential for the rehabilitation of CP children. Knowledge of the degree of correlation between vision and motor impairment is valuable when planning a rehabilitation program.