BASELINE NORMATIVE DATA AND TEST-RETEST RELIABLITY OF THE VESTIBULAR/OCULAR MOTOR SCREENING (VOMS) ASSESSMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES

Morgan N. Anderson1, R.J. Elbin1, Melissa N. Anderson1, Evan M. Dobbs1, & Philip Schatz2 1University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas; 2Saint. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; e-mail: mnaders@uark.edu Dizziness occurs in 50% of athletes with sport-related concussion (SRC) and is indicative of vestibular and oculomotor dysfunction. The Vestibular/Ocular-Motor Screening (VOMS) assessment is a brief, screening tool designed to detect vestibular and ocular motor impairment and symptoms following SRC. Currently there are no normative data for this measure and test-retest reliability has yet to be documented. PURPOSE: This study documented baseline (i.e., pre-season) performance and pre-season to postseason test-retest reliability for the VOMS in high school athletes. METHODS: A total of 468 HS athletes completed baseline VOMS testing and 58 of these athletes completed a second, postseason administration of the VOMS approximately 99 days apart. The VOMS is comprised of a series of vestibular (e.g., vestibular oculomotor reflex) and ocular motor components (e.g., saccadic eye movement, near point convergence distance). Symptom ratings for headache, dizziness, nausea, and fogginess are recorded at the completion of each component. Descriptive statistics were used to document normative performance for the total sample and among males and females. The percentage of baseline scores above clinical cut-offs were tabulated for each component of the VOMS. Paired samples t-tests and Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were performed comparing preseason and postseason scores. RESULTS: Approximately 83% of baseline VOMS scores were below clinical cutoffs. There were no significant changes from pre- to postseason on any VOMS component scores (p \u3c .001) and ICCs ranged from .29 to .71. CONCLUSION: The VOMS has an acceptable false positive rate in high school athletes and the stability over the course of one high school season ranges from fair to good (.40-.75)