About

Dr. Marjean Taylor Kulp is a Distinguished Professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. She received her Bachelor of Science in genetics in 1986 and her Doctor of Optometry in 1991 from Ohio State University. Between 1991 and 1993, she was the recipient of the Ewalt Fellowship and completed a master's degree in physiological optics along with a fellowship in binocular vision and pediatrics at the College of Optometry. Her primary responsibilities included clinical teaching and direct patient care in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision and Primary Care Services. She joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1995 and completed a two-year K-30 clinical-research-career development grant program in 2002. Her teaching has included ocular neurology and binocular vision, and her research interests focus on binocular and children's vision. Dr. Kulp has served as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded trials, including studies on convergence insufficiency, hyperopia in preschoolers, and preschool vision screening, contributing significantly to the field of pediatric optometry and vision research. She has authored over 100 publications, including a book chapter, and has been recognized with awards such as the Ohio Optometric Association’s Jack Keith Young Optometrist of the Year Award in 1996. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and holds the rank of tenured Distinguished Professor.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Optometry
• Internal medicine
• Optics
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Family medicine
• Computer vision
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Physics
• Cognitive psychology
• Audiology
• Anatomy
• Radiology
• Nursing

Selected publications

• Attention to text and pictures during storybook reading in preschool children with moderate hyperopia

  Optometry and Vision Science · 2026-02-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE: Uncorrected, moderate hyperopia has been associated with poor emergent literacy skills. However, the eye movements of preschoolers have not yet been used to determine how well young, hyperopic children attend to text and pictures during storybook reading compared to emmetropic children. In this study, the percentage of visual on-task time during storybook reading for 4- and 5-year-old children with uncorrected, moderate hyperopia was compared to that of their emmetropic peers. The relationship between percentage visual on-task time and near visual function was also assessed. METHODS: Children received an eye exam with cycloplegic refraction to identify hyperopia (+3.00D to +6.00D with astigmatism ≤1.50D and anisometropia ≤1.00D) or emmetropia (hyperopia ≤1.0D; astigmatism, anisometropia, and myopia<|1.0|D) and to rule out amblyopia, strabismus, and ocular health concerns. Infrared video eye tracking systems were used to monitor eye position during storybook reading. Fixations were "on-task" if the child was looking at text or a picture in the story. Statistical comparisons of percentage visual on-task time between the emmetropic and hyperopic children were performed, and correlations between the percentage visual on-task time and the participants' near visual skills (visual acuity, stereoacuity, accommodative lag) were determined. RESULTS: Fifty-five of 72 eligible children provided analyzable data. The average percentage visual on-task time for hyperopic children was 20% less than that of emmetropic children (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.02). Further, for all children combined, the percentage visual on-task time was moderately correlated with accommodative lag (Spearman, r = -0.32, p = 0.02) while there was no significant correlation between percentage visual on-task time and near acuity or near stereoacuity (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Moderately hyperopic, uncorrected 4- and 5-year-old children showed a significantly lower percentage of visual on-task time during shared storybook reading compared to their emmetropic peers. The percentage on-task time was moderately correlated with increased accommodative lag for the combined group of emmetropic and hyperopic children.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of uncorrected hyperopia on visual function and academic performance in preschool and school‐age children

  Optometry and Vision Science · 2026-02-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Many children with a moderate amount of farsightedness do not see as well up close as children who are not farsighted, and they often have significantly more problems with near visual function (near visual acuity, stereoacuity, and accommodation), early literacy skills, reading, and attention. Problems with early literacy skills often lead to difficulties with reading in first grade and beyond. Controversy exists among eye care providers regarding whether moderately hyperopic children have adequate visual function without correction or whether correction provides benefit. Furthermore, the effect of correction is unclear, and further research is needed to determine whether hyperopic correction allows farsighted children to overcome deficits in near visual function, early literacy, reading, and attention.

  PublisherDOI

• Detection of significant vision conditions in children using <scp>QuickSee</scp> wavefront autorefractor

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2024 · 6 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Medicine
  • Ophthalmology

  PURPOSE: This study evaluated the ability of QuickSee to detect children at risk for significant vision conditions (significant refractive error [RE], amblyopia and strabismus). METHODS: Non-cycloplegic refraction (using QuickSee without and with +2 dioptre (D) fogging lenses) and unaided binocular near visual acuity (VA) were measured in 4- to 12-year-old children. Eye examination findings (VA, cover testing and cycloplegic retinoscopy) were used to determine the presence of vision conditions. QuickSee performance was summarised by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity for various levels of RE. QuickSee referral criteria for each vision condition were chosen to maximise sensitivity at a specificity of approximately 85%-90%. Sensitivity and specificity to detect vision conditions were calculated using multiple criteria. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the benefit of adding near VA (6/12 or worse) for detecting hyperopia. A paired t-test compared QuickSee without and with fogging lenses. RESULTS: The mean age was 8.2 (±2.5) years (n = 174). RE ranged up to 9.25 D myopia, 8 D hyperopia, 5.25 D astigmatism and 3.5 D anisometropia. The testability of the QuickSee was 94.3%. AUC was ≥0.92 (excellent) for each level of RE. For the detection of any RE, sensitivity and specificity were 84.2% and 87.3%, respectively, using modified Orinda criteria and 94.5% and 78.2%, respectively, using the American Academy for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) guidelines. For the detection of any significant vision condition, the sensitivity and specificity of QuickSee were 81.1% and 87.9%, respectively, using modified Orinda criteria and 93% and 78.6%, respectively, using AAPOS criteria. There was no significant benefit of adding near VA to QuickSee for the detection of hyperopia ≥+2.00 (p = 0.34). There was no significant difference between QuickSee measurements of hyperopic refractive error with and without fogging lenses (difference = -0.09 D; p = 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: QuickSee had high discriminatory power for detecting children with hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, any significant refractive error or any significant vision condition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Classification of accommodative insufficiency by monocular subjective push‐up test is poorly predictive of monocular objective amplitudes in children and young adults

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2024-11-18 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: To determine whether classification of accommodative insufficiency (AI) based on the subjective push-up test is indicative of reduced amplitude measured objectively. METHODS: Monocular subjective accommodative amplitude was measured in participants 7-24 years of age with the push-up test; a 0.9 mm letter was moved towards the eye until first sustained blur occurred. Monocular objective amplitude was measured with the same target and an autorefractor for demands from 2.5 to 30 D. The maximum response was termed the amplitude. Near point of convergence (NPC) was measured in a subset of participants. Participants were classified into groups using subjective amplitude: normal amplitude or AI (amplitude < ((15 - 0.25 × age) - 2)). Objective amplitude was plotted by age for each group and one-way ANCOVA used to evaluate differences while controlling for age. For NPC measures, a t-test compared the magnitude of the break between those with and without AI. RESULTS: Fifty-five of 185 participants were classified as having AI. Objective amplitude decreased with age (0.20 D/year) and there was no significant difference in the age-adjusted mean amplitudes for the two groups (AI: 7.62 D, CI = 7.19, 8.04; Normal: 7.86 D, CI = 7.58, 8.15; p = 0.11). For the subset with NPC measures, participants classified as having AI had significantly more receded break values than those without AI (7.7 ± 5 vs. 3.7 ± 3 cm, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Factors other than accommodative ability may be contributing to lower subjective amplitude findings in individuals meeting the criterion for AI.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Neural consequences of symptomatic convergence insufficiency: A small sample study

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2024 · 3 citations

  • Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Anatomy

  INTRODUCTION: Convergence insufficiency (CI) is an oculomotor abnormality characterised by exophoria and inadequate convergence when focusing on nearby objects. CI has been shown to cause symptoms when reading. However, the downstream consequences on brain structure have yet to be investigated. Here, we investigated the neural consequences of symptomatic CI, focusing on the left arcuate fasciculus, a bundle of white matter fibres which supports reading ability and has been associated with reading deficits. METHODS: We compared the arcuate fasciculus microstructure of participants with symptomatic CI versus normal binocular vision (NBV). Six CI participants and seven NBV controls were included in the analysis. All participants were scanned with 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and anatomical and diffusion-weighted images were acquired. Diffusion-weighted images were processed with TRACULA to identify the arcuate fasciculus in each participant and compute volume and radial diffusivity (RD). RESULTS: Compared with NBV controls, those with symptomatic CI had significantly smaller arcuate fasciculi bilaterally (left: t = -3.21, p = 0.008; right: t = -3.29, p = 0.007), and lower RD in the left (t = -2.66, p = 0.02), but not the right (t = -0.81, p = 0.44, false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected p > 0.05) arcuate fasciculus. Those with higher levels of reading symptoms had smaller arcuate fasciculi (r = -0.74, p = 0.004) with lower RD (r = -0.61, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that symptomatic CI may lead to microstructural changes in the arcuate fasciculus. Since it is highly unlikely that abnormalities in the arcuate fasciculus are the cause of the neuromuscular deficits in the eyes, we argue that these changes may be a potential neuroplastic consequence of disruptions in sustained reading.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• One‐year follow‐up of clinical convergence measures in children enrolled in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial—Attention and Reading Trial

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2024-08-14

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: To assess the long-term stability of clinical measures of convergence (near point of convergence [NPC] and positive fusional vergence [PFV]) in participants enrolled in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial-Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART) who received 16 weeks of office-based vergence/accommodative therapy. METHODS: A total of 310 children, 9-14 years old, with symptomatic convergence insufficiency were enrolled in CITT-ART. Some 270 completed both their 16-week primary outcome visit followed by a 1-year follow-up visit. Of those 270, 181 (67%) were randomised to the vergence/accommodative therapy. Of the 181 in the vergence/accommodative group, 121 (67%) reported not receiving any additional treatment after the 16-week primary outcome visit. The mean change in NPC, PFV and percentages of children classified by the predetermined success criteria of convergence (normal NPC [<6 cm] and/or improved by ≥4 cm; normal PFV [passing Sheard's criterion and base-out break >15Δ] and/or improved by ≥10Δ) were compared at the 16-week primary outcome visit and 1 year later. RESULTS: Of the 121 who returned for their 1-year follow-up visit, there was no significant change in mean adjusted NPC (reduction of -0.2 cm; 95% CI: -1.0 to 0.5 cm) at 1 year. There was a statistically significant decrease in mean-adjusted PFV (-4.7∆; 95% CI: -6.5 to -2.8Δ) at 1 year. There were similar percentages of participants classified as 'normal' (p = 0.30), 'normal and/or improved' (p > 0.50) and 'normal and improved' (p > 0.14) based on NPC and PFV at the 1-year visit compared with the 16-week primary outcome visit. CONCLUSION: The improvements in NPC and PFV following 16 weeks of vergence/accommodative therapy (with no reported additional treatment thereafter) in children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency persisted 1-year post-treatment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparison of proximal and minus lens autorefraction techniques to measure monocular accommodative amplitude

  Optometry and Vision Science · 2024-02-01 · 4 citations

  article

  SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides a faster method for objectively measuring accommodative amplitude with an open-field autorefractor in a research setting. PURPOSE: Objective measures of accommodative amplitude with an autorefractor take time because of the numerous stimulus demands tested. This study compares protocols using different amounts and types of demands to shorten the process. METHODS: One hundred participants were recruited for four age bins (5 to 9, 10 to 14, 15 to 19, and 20 to 24 years) and monocular amplitude measured with an autorefractor using three protocols: proximal, proximal-lens (letter), and proximal-lens (picture). For proximal, measurements were taken as participants viewed a 0.9 mm "E" placed at 13 demands (40 to 3.3 cm = 2.5 to 30 D). The other protocols used a target (either the "E" or a detailed picture) placed at 33 and 12.5 cm followed by 12.5 cm with a series of lenses (-2, -4, and -5.5 D). Adjustments were made for lens effectivity for the three lens conditions, which were thus 9.6, 11.1, and 12.0 D for individuals without additional spectacle lenses. Accommodative amplitude was defined as the greatest response measured with each technique. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare group mean amplitudes across protocols and differences between letter protocols by age bin. RESULTS: Amplitudes were significantly different between protocols (p < 0.001), with proximal having higher amplitudes (mean ± standard deviation, 8.04 ± 1.70 D) compared with both proximal-lens protocols (letter, 7.48 ± 1.42 D; picture, 7.43 ± 1.42 D) by post hoc Tukey analysis. Differences in amplitude between the proximal and proximal-lens (letter) protocol were different by age group (p = 0 .003), with the youngest group having larger differences (1.14 ± 1.58 D) than the oldest groups (0.17 ± 0.58 and 0.29 ± 0.48 D, respectively) by post hoc Tukey analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The proximal-lens protocols took less time and identified the maximum accommodative amplitude in participants aged 15 to 24 years; however, they may underestimate true amplitude in younger children.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of vision therapy on near exodeviation in children with convergence insufficiency treated during the convergence insufficiency treatment trials

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2024-04-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  PURPOSE: To report the change in the magnitude of near exodeviation in children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency successfully treated with office-based vergence/accommodative therapy in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial-Attention and Reading Trial. METHODS: A total of 131 children 9-14 years of age with symptomatic convergence insufficiency classified as successfully treated with office-based vergence/accommodative therapy at the 16-week outcome visit were included. Masked examiners measured the near ocular deviation by the prism and alternate cover test at baseline, primary outcome and 1-year post-treatment. The mean change in near deviation was calculated from baseline to primary outcome, from primary outcome to 1-year post-treatment and from baseline to 1-year post-treatment. RESULTS: Of the 131 participants successfully treated with vergence/accommodative therapy, 120 completed the 1-year post-treatment visit. A significant change in near exodeviation was observed at baseline to primary outcome (2.6Δ less exo, p < 0.001, moderate effect size d = 0.61) and at baseline to 1-year post-treatment (2.0Δ less exo; p < 0.001, small effect size d = 0.45). The change from primary outcome to 1-year post-treatment (0.6Δ more exo; p = 0.06, small effect size d = 0.11) was not significant. Forty per cent (48/120) of participants had a decrease in near exodeviation >3.5∆ (expected test/retest variability) between baseline and the primary outcome examination. Of the 120 participants, one (1.0%) was esophoric at the primary outcome and was subsequently exophoric at 1-year post-treatment. Four participants (3.3%) who were orthophoric or exophoric at the primary outcome were esophoric (all ≤3∆) at the 1-year post-treatment visit. CONCLUSION: On average, the near exodeviation was smaller in size immediately after the discontinuation of vergence/accommodative therapy (2.6∆, moderate effect size) and 1 year post vergence/accommodative therapy (2.0∆, small effect size) in children with convergence insufficiency who were successfully treated; 40% had a clinically meaningful decrease in exophoria. The development of near esophoria was rare.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Prescribing patterns for paediatric hyperopia among paediatric eye care providers

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2023 · 11 citations

  • Medicine
  • Optometry
  • Family medicine

  PURPOSE: To survey paediatric eye care providers to identify current patterns of prescribing for hyperopia. METHODS: Paediatric eye care providers were invited, via email, to participate in a survey to evaluate current age-based refractive error prescribing practices. Questions were designed to determine which factors may influence the survey participant's prescribing pattern (e.g., patient's age, magnitude of hyperopia, patient's symptoms, heterophoria and stereopsis) and if the providers were to prescribe, how much hyperopic correction would they prescribe (e.g., full or partial prescription). The response distributions by profession (optometry and ophthalmology) were compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov cumulative distribution function test. RESULTS: Responses were submitted by 738 participants regarding how they prescribe for their hyperopic patients. Most providers within each profession considered similar clinical factors when prescribing. The percentages of optometrists and ophthalmologists who reported considering the factor often differed significantly. Factors considered similarly by both optometrists and ophthalmologists were the presence of symptoms (98.0%, p = 0.14), presence of astigmatism and/or anisometropia (97.5%, p = 0.06) and the possibility of teasing (8.3%, p = 0.49). A wide range of prescribing was observed within each profession, with some providers reporting that they would prescribe for low levels of hyperopia while others reported that they would never prescribe. When prescribing for bilateral hyperopia in children with age-normal visual acuity and no manifest deviation or symptoms, the threshold for prescribing decreased with age for both professions, with ophthalmologists typically prescribing 1.5-2 D less than optometrists. The threshold for prescribing also decreased for both optometrists and ophthalmologists when children had associated clinical factors (e.g., esophoria or reduced near visual function). Optometrists and ophthalmologists most commonly prescribed based on cycloplegic refraction, although optometrists most commonly prescribed based on both the manifest and cycloplegic refraction for children ≥7 years. CONCLUSION: Prescribing patterns for paediatric hyperopia vary significantly among eye care providers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of accommodative insufficiency and accommodative/vergence therapy on ciliary muscle thickness in the eye

  Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics · 2023-05-15 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  PURPOSE: Recent evidence suggests that the ciliary muscle apical fibres are most responsive to accommodative load; however, the structure of the ciliary muscle in individuals with accommodative insufficiency is unknown. This study examined ciliary muscle structure in individuals with accommodative insufficiency (AI). We also determined the response of the ciliary muscle to accommodative/vergence therapy and increasing accommodative demands to investigate the muscle's responsiveness to workload. METHODS: Subjects with AI were enrolled and matched by age and refractive error with subjects enrolled in another ciliary muscle study as controls. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography was used to measure the ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) at rest (0D), maximum thickness (CMTMAX) and over the area from 0.75 mm (CMT0.75) to 3 mm (CMT3) posterior to the scleral spur of the right eye. For those with AI, the ciliary muscle was also measured at increasing levels of accommodative demand (2D, 4D and 6D), both before and after accommodative/vergence therapy. RESULTS: Sixteen subjects with AI (mean age = 17.4 years, SD = 8.0) were matched with 48 controls (mean age = 17.8 years, SD = 8.2). On average, the controls had 52-72 μm thicker ciliary muscles in the apical region at 0D than those with AI (p = 0.03 for both CMTMAX and CMT 0.75). Differences in thickness between the groups in other regions of the muscle were not statistically significant. After 8 weeks of accommodative/vergence therapy, the CMT increased by an average of 22-42 μm (p ≤ 0.04 for all), while AA increased by 7D (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated significantly thinner apical ciliary muscle thickness in those with AI and that the ciliary muscle can thicken in response to increased workload. This may explain the mechanism for improvement in signs and symptoms with accommodative/vergence therapy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant U10EY014715

  NIH · $389k · 2008

• NIH Grant U10EY012648

  NIH · $1.9M · 2007

• NIH Grant R01EY021141

  NIH · $2.6M · 2016

Frequent coauthors

• G. Lynn Mitchell

  SUNY College of Optometry

  136 shared

• Gui‐Shuang Ying

  University of Pennsylvania

  129 shared

• Elise Ciner

  128 shared

• Maureen G. Maguire

  Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

  120 shared

• Bruce Moore

  New England College of Optometry

  118 shared

• Graham E. Quinn

  California University of Pennsylvania

  112 shared

• Lynn Cyert

  Northeastern State University

  105 shared

• Mitchell Scheiman

  96 shared

Labs

• Research | College of OptometryPI

Education

• Ph.D., Optometry

  The Ohio State University

  1984

• M.S., Optometry

  The Ohio State University

  1981

• B.S., Optometry

  The Ohio State University

  1979

Awards & honors

• Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry
• Jack Keith Young Optometrist of the Year Award (1996)
• President's Citation (1992)
• Class of 1965 Scholarship (1990)
• Varilux Scholarship (1990)