Research
Adding King-Devick Test to sideline
concussion evaluation improves detection
King-Devick Test Facts
97%
Test-Retest Reliability
86-
100%
100%
Sensitivity
90-
94%
94%
Specificity
- K-D Test can be reliably administered by trained medical personnel and laypersons
- K-D Test screens for unwitnessed and unreported concussions
- K-D Test is not affected by physical fatigue or environmental noise
K-D Test products measure eye movement speed and accuracy during rapid number naming in which a series of single-digit numbers is read aloud.
Performance on the K-D Test requires vision and eye movements involving the integrated function of the brainstem, cerebellum and cerebral cortex. Cognitive processing is also required including:
MEMORY • ATTENTION • LANGUAGE FUNCTION
Pathology in any of these functional pathways may result in errors and poor K-D Test performance.
Vision alone accounts for more than 50% of the brain’s pathways, making vision and eye movements particularly vulnerable in brain injury.
Following a brain injury up to
90% of patients experience vision-related symptoms.
Neurological Pathways Involved in K-D Test Performance
Highlighted areas shown here include those responsible for planning, initiation and execution of the coordinated functions of vision, eye movement, attention, language and concentration required for successful performance on the K-D Test.
