Small Study Supports Vision Test’s Accuracy For Detecting Concussions.

USA Today (2/8, Lloyd) reports, “A vision test that can be administered in a minute on the sidelines could be an effective tool to detect concussions,” according to a study in Neurology. The “King-Devick (K-D) test, involves the athlete reading single digit numbers displayed on index-sized cards.” Although other sideline exams “test cognitive or memory skills and rely on the administrator to make subjective decisions, the K-D test is objective,” researchers say. It reveals “impairments of eye movement, attention, language and other symptoms of impaired brain function. It looks at rapid eye movements and other signs that are frequently abnormal following a concussion.” The initial “research was a small study limited to 39 boxers and MMA fighters.”