Research

Between September 2020 and March 2021, a study conducted door-to-door eye screenings for children aged 5 to 18 in a Delhi urban slum. Among the 32,857 screened children, 55% were boys, and only 2.8% had prior eye exams. About 5.5% were referred for further evaluation, with a 72% compliance rate for those with poor vision compared to 38% for those with ocular issues. Compliance was also higher among older children and girls. The study identified 3.9% with refractive errors (RE) and 2.5% with uncorrected RE, more prevalent in girls and older children. Among referred children, 85% received confirmed diagnoses for RE or other ocular issues, demonstrating a high positive predictive value (PPV) of around 85% for the door-to-door screening model. The study suggests this model's effectiveness, especially during school closures due to COVID-19, and recommends its use as a supplement to school screenings in areas with low enrollment and high absenteeism. Strengths include large-scale screenings and efficient teams, while limitations involve sampling convenience and non-cycloplegic vision screening, with the model being particularly valuable during the pandemic.