Vision screening – referral to discharge. Outcomes from a routine vision screening programme

Aims: To investigate a local vision screening pro- gramme, the conditions identified at routine vision screening and the visual acuity outcomes of children referred.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of children who underwent vision screening between 1 September 2005 and 31 August 2006 was undertaken. The screening programme included an assessment of uniocular vision, cover test, ocular motility, binocular reflex and stereo-acuity. All children referred had their hospital case notes reviewed and data on final corrected visual acuity, refractive error and follow- up period collected.

Results: Of 2468 children offered vision screening 2240 gave consent and were tested (90.8% coverage), 309 (13.8%) children were referred, and 264 (85.4%) patients attended of whom 33 (12.5%) were false positive referrals. The vision screening programme had a positive predictive value of 87.5%. Corrected visual acuity was 0.200 logMAR or better in each eye in 89.1% of patients, 64.0% required only optimum refractive correction as their sole treatment and 10.2% required a period of occlusion therapy. Conclusions: Orthoptic-based screening programmes provide an efficient vision screening mechanism, achieving high coverage, and low re-test and false positive levels. Vision screening has been shown to identify a variety of conditions which had until that point gone unnoticed. Those referred show excellent visual acuity outcomes.