Research

The purpose of this study was to report on the current practice of children’s vision screenings in Australia and other countries, as well as to evaluate the evidence for and against the provision of such screenings.

A detailed investigation of peer-reviewed publications on children’s vision screenings was conducted for this study.

There is no agreed vision screening protocol for children in Australia due to the lack of strong evidence supporting the benefit of such screenings.

Amblyopia, strabismus and, to a lesser extent refractive error, are targeted by many screening programs during pre-school and at school entry.

There is less agreement regarding the value of screening for other visual conditions, such as binocular vision disorders, ocular health problems and refractive errors.

Little agreement exists in the frequency and coverage of screening programs between states and territories in Australia.

The screening programs that are offered are adhoc and poorly documented in Australia.

To improve the vision screenings benefit for Australian children, an equitable provision of validated vision screening services is important.