Preschool Vision Screening

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The detection and treatment of eye defects among preschool children has been a neglected phase of health supervision in the 3 to 5-year age group. Such neglect is especially serious for children with amblyopia because full correction may hinge on the start of such treatment before school age. The best safeguard for the eyes of these youngsters would be for all children to have eye examinations by qualified eye specialists between 3 and 4 years of age. Since this is not possible, preschool vision screening programs have been utilized as a means of locating children in need of eye care. In 34 continuing programs throughout the country, the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness has demonstrated that preschool vision screening can be done successfully by well-trained volunteer groups. In these projects, referral rates have averaged between 5% and 6% with correct referrals averaging 90%. Many professional people are not aware that subjective testing can be done with children so young. Yet in a program in Schenectady, volunteers under the supervision of a public health nurse of the County Health Committee were able to test with the Snellen chart at 20 feet and 60% of the children in the 3-3 1/2-year group, 74% in the 3 1/2-4-year group, and 96% of 4-year-olds. This screening has been done in well-child conferences, nursery schools, churches, housing projects, and in some communities at the time of school registration for children entering kindergarten.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: