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The Alarming Truth About Vision Screenings:

NIH Releases Study Results

 

 

A major study has found that vision screenings performed by specially trained nurses and laypersons failed to identify more than 30% of vision disorder cases common among preschoolers.

 

The results come from Phase II of the Vision in Preschoolers Study ("VIP Study"), a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that was published in the August 2005 issue of "Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science Journal".

 

The VIP Study compared how accurate nurses and lay people are in detecting children with vision problems. Both groups administered four vision-screening tests, three of which were proven by eye doctors in a previous study to be highly accurate.

 

The results were similar between both groups, and the percentages of children accurately diagnosed varied by screening tool. Nurses using the Retinomax Autorefractor performed the best, identifying 68% of the children screened (lay people identified 62%). Laypersons using the Linear Lea Symbols performed the worst at 35% (nurses identified 49%).

 

While the study proved a layperson could perform nearly as well as a specially trained nurse, it also confirmed that a comprehensive eye exam performed by an eye doctor is the best method for detecting vision disorders in preschoolers.

 

 

Steps to Improvement

Alarmed by the idea of leaving a large number of children undiagnosed and untreated, city, state and Federal governments have been taking steps to improve current preventive vision care systems.

 

In an effort to increase the number of children who receive an exam from an eye doctor, some states, like Kentucky, are making it a requirement to get an eye exam before a child starts school. Other states have made it mandatory that children who fail a screening get a follow up eye exam.

 

While in New York, New York City created a bus to transport eye doctors throughout Manhattan for the sole purpose of conducting eye exams for schoolchildren.

 

On Capitol Hill, Congress has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to address this problem. If passed, the bill (H.R. 2238) will provide state funds for treatment and awareness programs for children.

 

 

Sources: National Institutes of Health. "Trained Screeners Can Identify Preschoolers With Vision Disorders". NIH News Press Release on the WEb July 27, 2005. August 3, 2005, www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2005/nei-27.htm. Vision Council of America. "Latest News: NIH Study Fails to Prove Effectiveness of Vision Screenings". VCA Latest News on the Web. August 3, 2005, www.visionsite.org/s_vision/doc.asp?CID=168&DID=2011. 2020 Advocacy. "VIP Study: Vision Screenings Still Get Failing Grade" & "New Yorkers Get Moving for Kids Vision". Action Alerts on the Web. August 3, 2005, www.2020advocacy.com/s_2020/sec.asp?DID=1988&CID=790. "State, Federal Governments Eye Laws to Improve Children's Vision and Learning". Check Yearly, News and Information on the Web. August 3, 2005, www.checkyearly.com/index.asp

 

Published by SafeGuard Health Plans, Inc. August 2005.