Referral outcomes from a vision screening program for school-aged children

Resident Perspectives 56–1

“…The next most common diagnosis was amblyopia (43%), followed by strabismus (16%), and anisometropia (13%). 3 This study provides further evidence to support the use of school-based vision screening programs, especially in underserved populations. The majority of children (84%) referred to the pediatric ophthalmology service in this study were diagnosed with at least one ocular condition.…”

“…The authors postulated several reasons for a minority of screened patients attending follow-up and listed suggestions for tackling many of these challenges, including restructuring grant funding to pay for the first eye examination and alleviating transportation costs to and from appointments. 3 It should be noted, however, that the study does have some important limitations. As the authors acknowledged, they had a small sample size due to low consent form return rates.…”

“… 2 In this issue, Silverstein and colleagues describe ocular diagnoses and follow-up patterns of children referred to pediatric ophthalmology after the Wills Eye Vision Screening Program for Children (WEVSPC) in Philadelphia. 3 Between January 2014 and June 2015, 10,726 children were screened; of these, 509 (5%) were found to have decreased visual acuity not attributable to refractive error, and were referred for a comprehensive ophthalmic assessment. Following this assessment, refractive error was found to be the most common diagnosis, representing 76% of the cases referred.…”

“…The majority of children (84%) referred to the pediatric ophthalmology service in this study were diagnosed with at least one ocular condition. 3 Amblyopia was diagnosed in 54 children as a result of the vision screening program, allowing for earlier intervention and supporting the use of mandated school-based vision screening programs in Philadelphia. 4 However, the authors acknowledged that the amblyopia detection rate reported in their study is lower than the population prevalence, suggesting that this may be due to a lack of follow-up.…”

“…The next most common diagnosis was amblyopia (43%), followed by strabismus (16%), and anisometropia (13%). 3 …”