A deficit in visits to the optometrist by preschool age children: implications for vision screening
- 1School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- 2Optometry Department, Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Correspondence to: Dr Jez Guggenheim School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK; guggenheimcf.ac.uk
- Accepted 8 July 2004
Vision screening in children is aimed primarily at detecting non-strabismic amblyopia (other forms of vision defect are generally evident to parents). Such non-strabismic amblyopia occurs mostly as a result of uncorrected refractive errors.1,2 In the December 2003 report by the Child Health Sub-group3 it was recommended that all 4−5 year olds should receive vision screening. The Health For All Children 4 (HFAC4, 2003) “Hall Report”4 and the Children’s Eye Health Working Party guidelines5 similarly suggest vision screening should be undertaken in all 4–5 year olds. This advice is in accord with the results of the first randomised controlled trial of treatment for amblyopia,2 which found that treatment of moderate amblyopia (acuity 6/36−6/18) in preschool aged children was effective. However, currently the coverage of vision screening is …
