Weighing in on Canadian school-based vision screening: A call for action

Abstract

Vision-screening programs are designed to detect common causes of visual impairment and increase the likelihood of early diagnosis and treatment. In the health authority Eastern Health -Newfoundland and Labrador, public health leaders raised a concern about the efficiency and effectiveness of the current non-routine, opportunistic vision screening protocol for school-aged children. An environmental scan of screening practices and programs across Canada was conducted, yielding a wide range of inconsistencies with respect to program type, target population, and screening tools. A significant gap in evidencebased research into universal vision-screening programs for the school-aged population (6+) was also noted. In light of these findings (both in practice and research), we recommend that researchers and public health practitioners across the country evaluate their current practice with respect to school-based vision screening and disseminate their findings through publication. We conclude that evaluation and research into current school-based screening programs (both opportunistic and universal) will provide the evidence needed to guide practice.KEY WORDS: Vision screening; public health surveillance; school health services; strabismus; child health La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

Associations between Poor Vision, Vision-Related Behaviors and Mathematics Achievement in Chinese Students from the CNAEQ-PEH 2015

“…Poor vision is defined as the visual acuity below 5.0 by using the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart. Poor vision is essentially an impaired sensory system that can quickly develop from slight impairment to a severe one in children [ 1 ] and is one of the important causes of preventable blindness in adults. Poor vision can be a prolonged and progressive disability in individuals, can have harmful effects on students’ academic performance, education potential, fundamental movement skills, physical fitness, and mental health [ 2 , 3 ], and results in a substantial burden on society [ 4 ].…”

Citation Network Analysis on the Influence of Vision on Academic Performance

“…Within health, optical health is critical, and poor vision, which can be due to either genetic or outside causes, is a perfect example. A person suffering from poor vision has a visual acuity over 0.5 (standard logarithmic scale), whereas a normal visual acuity would be approximately 0.00 or less [ 6 ]. Poor eyesight is considered both a chronic and progressive disability, one which can adversely impact students’ scholastic performance, educational potential, crucial movement skills, physical fitness, and mental health [ 7 , 8 ].…”