Background: In Germany the paediatricians use three different visual acuity tests (Pictures, Rodenstock-Test, H-Test). We investigated the effectiveness of these procedures.
Subjects: In this study 303 children were referred by paediatricians to the study group in the Cologne Augenklinik. They were fully examined by an orthoptist and an ophthalmologist (gold standard).
Results: From these data the sensitivity and specificity of the tests used by the paediatricians were calculated. Only the H-Test proved to be satisfactory.
Conclusion: The actual situation of screening for amblyopia by paediatricians in children aged 3 1/2 to 4 is unsatisfactory in Germany. Paediatricians and ophthalmologists should use a similar test for visual acuity. Continuing education of medical personnel is desirable to ensure an adequate quality of screening.