Bridging the Gap in Adolescent Vision Care Through Schools

Vision screenings play a critical role in detecting children at risk for vision problems. For younger children, screenings are a means of detecting amblyopia risk factors. In school-age children, screenings have the additional benefit of identifying those who may have uncorrected refractive error and need eyeglasses. Recognizing the importance of maintaining good vision, major professional organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend vision screening at periodic intervals, typically every 1 to 2 years, throughout childhood. Despite this broad-based consensus, widespread disparities exist. Recognizing the need to address gaps in pediatric eye care, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ’s Healthy People 2030 includes specific objectives for increasing vision screening and reducing vision loss in children and adolescents.
Source: JAMA Ophthalmology - Category: Opthalmology Source Type: research