Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Motor Skills and Balance Through Eye-hand Coordination Training in University Students

Background: Eye-hand coordination is the integration of the vision and motor systems to produce a coordinated movement. Poor eye-hand coordination will result in decreased motor performance, thereby influencing academic activities. The common issues in eye-hand coordination are motor skills and dynamic balance. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of eye-hand coordination exercises on motor skill and dynamic balance among university students with poor eye-hand coordination. Materials & Methods: A quasi-experimental design via purposive sampling method was used. The participants were divided into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed eye-hand coordination exercises twice weekly for four weeks. The control group was given an education sheet about eye-hand coordination. A pre- and post-test of motor skill and dynamic balance was conducted using the mirror tracing test and star excursion balance test (SEBT). Results: The mean age of participants was 20.9 years. When comparing the post-test results of mirror tracing test and SEBT between experimental and control groups, there was a significant improvement in motor skill (P=0.007), while there was no significant improvement in dynamic balance (P=0.066). Conclusion: In summary, eye-hand coordination exercises were found to be effective in enhancing motor skills among university students with poor eye-hand coordination. However, there was no significant improvement in dynamic balance as a result of the eye-hand coordination exercises.