GUIDE 04 / 07
How Does Dynamic Vision Change With Age — What Research Shows
A study of 826 people aged 5 to 92, comparisons between young and older groups, and research showing exercise slows age-related decline — summarized with sources.
It's common to hear that dynamic vision declines with age. Actual research gives some clues about when it's at its best, how much it declines, and why. Since test methods vary between studies, though, the numbers can't be directly compared to each other or to your score on this site.
Peaks in the mid-teens, then declines steadily from age 20
Ishigaki and Miyao (1994) measured the DVA of 826 people aged 5 to 92. A Landolt ring with a 40-minute gap moved quickly and gradually slowed, and the speed at which the gap was identified was recorded. The result: it was best around age 15, then declined at a steady rate from age 20 on. Males scored slightly better at most ages, but a statistically significant difference appeared only at age 5, with large individual variation.
Is decline in older adults due to eye movement or light?
Long and Crambert (1990) compared DVA between a group averaging 19.6 years old and one averaging 67.6 years old, across a range of 30–120 °/s. The younger group performed better under almost every condition, but the difference nearly disappeared when the optotype's brightness was adjusted. The researchers attributed the decline in older adults more to reduced light reaching the retina (pupil constriction, lens clouding, etc.) than to aging of the eye movement system — meaning results can differ greatly between bright and dark settings.
KVA in children
A review summarizing Japanese research reports that KVA didn't change much between ages 8 and 17. It's reported to decline with age starting in adulthood, and athletes tend to score better than non-athletes of the same age (Sawaki et al., 2022).
Exercise may slow the decline
Muiños and Ballesteros (2015) compared judo and karate athletes and non-athletes under age 30 and over age 60. Athletes had better DVA in both age groups, and especially under fast speed conditions, older athletes clearly outperformed non-athletes of the same age. This suggests that an exercise habit requiring continuous tracking of moving targets may reduce age-related decline — though the possibility that they already had good vision before becoming athletes can't be ruled out.
Why this site doesn't offer age comparisons
All the studies above used controlled testing devices, and they aren't norms for a web test where screen, refresh rate, and distance all vary. Attaching a baseless "average for people in their 20s" or "top X%" easily leads to misunderstanding, so this site shows only your personal trend. If you're curious how dynamic vision changes with age, measure periodically on the same device, at the same distance, under the same brightness, and build your own curve.