PubMed has a new Vision In Preschoolers Study article.

Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study Group.

Optom Vis Sci. 2009 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]

PMID: 19417714 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

This is the Abstract:
The Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study Group conducted a multicenter, multidisciplinary, two-phase study to evaluate the performance of vision screening tests for identifying pre-school children with amblyopia, strabismus, significant refractive error, or unexplained reduced visual acuity (VA). The results of the VIP Study provide evidence-based guidelines for preschool vision screening. The best screening tests administered by eye care professionals were non-cycloplegic retinoscopy, Retinomax Autorefractor, SureSight Vision Screener, and linear, crowded Lea Symbols VA at 10 feet. The best screening tests administered by trained nurses and/or lay screeners were Retinomax, SureSight, and VIP single, crowded Lea Symbols VA screening test system at 5 feet. Eye care professionals can improve detection of strabismus by combining unilateral cover test with a refraction test and trained lay screeners can improve detection of strabismus by combining Stereo Smile II with SureSight. The best performing tests had high testability whether performed by trained eye care professionals, nurses, or lay screeners (>/=98%). Although very few children were unable to complete these tests, a child who was “unable” was much more likely to have a vision problem than a child who passed; therefore, children who are unable to complete one of these tests should be referred for further evaluation. When screening using the Retinomax, repeated testing to achieve the manufacturer’s suggested confidence number is valuable and improves specificity. Federal initiatives to increase the number of pre-school children receiving vision screening or examination will increase the number of pre-school children identified with amblyopia, strabismus, and/or significant refractive error. Although there is general agreement regarding the importance of early detection of amblyopia, controversy exists regarding the importance of early detection of refractive error. Because of the high prevalence of significant refractive errors and lack of evidenced-based guidelines for correction of refractive error in pre-school children, future research is needed to evaluate the value of correcting refractive errors in preschoolers who do not have amblyopia and/or strabismus.

LEA Symbols, Screening/Testing Children LEA Symbols, VIP Study Group

The Good-Lite booth opened Sunday at ARVO and we were slammed! Color vision testing was a hot topic as was low vision product. Come see us in Row 400!

Good-Lite, Screening/Testing Children ARVO

Many people think anyone labeled as “colorblind” only sees black and white -
like watching a black and white movie or television. This is a big
misconception and not true. It is extremely rare to be totally color blind
(monochromasy - complete absence of any color sensation). There are many
different types and degrees of colorblindness - more correctly called color
vision deficiencies.

Five to eight per cent (depending on the study you quote) of the men and one
half per cent of the women of the world are born colorblind. That’s as high
as one out of twelve men and one out of two hundred women.

Protanomalous or deuteranomalous individuals can usually pass as a normal
observer in everyday activities. They may make occasional errors in color
names, or may encounter difficulties in discriminating small differences in
colors, but usually they do not perform or see colors very differently from
the normal except on color vision tests.

The protanope and deuteranope, on the other hand, can be severely color
deficient. The real problem, as a protanope or deuteranope may see it, is
there are far too many hue names (color names) used by most people without
any obvious basis for using one instead of another. Why call something
“orange” when it doesn’t look different in any way from something else
called green, tan, beige, or any of several other color names?

Color Vision Color Blind, Color Blindness, Color Vision