COMPARISON OF BALANCE BETWEEN THE NORMAL VISION & VISUALLY IMPAIRED SCHOOL CHILDREN USING THE BALANCE EVALUATION SYSTEMS TEST (BESTEST).

Balance or postural control is a generic term used to describe the dynamic process by which the body’s position is maintained in equilibrium.. Visual stimuli ensure creation of a surrounding reference system. On the basis of this system, information about balance deviations is analyzed and their corrections to prevent loss of body balance are possible. Although many clinical tests are designed to test a single “balance system,” balance control is very complex and involves many different underlying systems(5) .Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) has been developed based on a conceptual model of balance control in which 6 different systems or domains contribute to balance control. The objective of this study was To Assess & Compare Different Components Of Balance In The Normal Vision And Visually Impaired School Children With Balance Evaluation Systems Test ( Bestest).METHOD: Ethical approval was taken from the ethical committee. 40 blind & 40 normal students were assessed according to the (BESTest) on different components. The scale has 6 components – each was assessed separately for both groups. RESULT: Repeated ANOVA test used for different components of BESTest scale in normal and blind children.(Bonferroni multiple comparisons) (P Value< 0.0001).Unpaired T test used between the normal and blind children total score of the BESTest( P Value < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study concluded that the component of anticipatory postural adjustment & Stability in gait in the blind is the most affected and the component of sensory organization is the least affected when compared to normal school children. KEYWORDS: Visually Impaired, Blind, School Children, Balance, BESTest Scale.