Accommodative-convergence in young infants: Development of a synergistic sensory-motor system.

Measured binocular eye alignment in 20 2–6 mo old infants under both binocular and monocular viewing conditions. Corneal photography was used to assess whether Ss converged to a target presented at a 15-cm viewing distance. Ss at all ages showed reliable convergence under both binocular and monocular viewing conditions. The presence of convergence during monocular viewing indicates that an accommodative-convergence link is present at an early age. The implications of this early synergistic relationship between accommodation and convergence are discussed both with respect to the influence of early visuomotor experience on the developing visual system and the onset of various ocular anomalies during infancy. (French abstract) (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)