This study was designed to establish the prevalence of ocular disorders in a paediatric population. There have been numerous studies conducted in this area with similar objectives. However, the majority of these adopted principally visual screening protocols, whilst others comprised incomplete examinations. A feature of this study is the inclusion of both cycloplegic refraction and ophthalmoscopy under mydriasis. Almost without exception other studies omit these procedures.One early and comprehensive ophthalmological study involving visual examination of 7033 young men was performed in England by S0rsby.l In this study distant visual acuity (using a Snellen chart) was measured, eye movements were tested and cycloplegic refraction was performed. The results of the study were: (i) over 80% of the men tested had full vision, unaided by glasses; (ii) about 11% of the men had significant refractive errors (hypermetropia and myopia) requiring optical care; (iii) astigmatic errors were present in 10% of the men tested; (iv) squint (strabismus) was present in 4% of the men; and (v) severe amblyopia ex anopsia was present in only 0.5% of the men.Kohler and Stigmar carried out a visual screening programme of 21 78 seven-year-old children in Sweden.* The initial visual screening consisted of a distant visual acuity test. Only children who had sufficiently poor visual acuity (<6/9 in one or both eyes), were referred to an ophthalmologist for a full visual examination. Three hundred and ten (14.2%) of the children initially screened were referred. These children were then classified according to their state of visual acuity, refraction and extraocular movements. Altogether, 49% of the referred children (7% of all those screened) had significant eye disorders and required treatment.Cohen carried out a visual screening programme on 65 1 prekindergarteners (about two to three years younger than the current study's target population) in Philadelphia, USA.3 The children screened were predominantly black (83%) and from lower-class families. The prevalence of significant visual defects was 12%. The similarity between these results and those of other studies involving Caucasian groups suggest that in this case race and socioeconomic status have little influence on the development of visual defects.
Despite the widespread acceptance of vision screening programmes as a means of detecting ocular disorders in children, there has been little formal assessment of their validity and reliab/lity One such screening programme is conducted in Queensland State Primary Schools by the Division of School Health Services of the State Department of Health
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