A new study by researchers from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, has revealed that simple eye movement tests can effectively diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FADS) in children. FADS is described as a syndrome of permanent birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.

To investigate whether the eye movements, or oculomotor tasks, could be used to assess FASD in children, the research team led by James Reynolds and Doug Munoz compared the oculomotor performance of 10 FASD affected children with 12 normal children.

Researchers found that children affected with FASD were more likely to make directional errors when instructed to look towards or away from a stimulus. Moreover, the children with FASD took a longer reaction time - the time required to initiate eye movement - as compared the non FASD group.

"Whereas oculomotor tasks have been used to assess brain function in a number of different clinical populations, this is the first such study to be carried out in FASD children," Reynolds said in a statement.

However, researchers acknowledged that in the absence of confirmed maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, the diagnosis of FASD with oculomotor tasks remains a challenge.

The study is published in the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.