Prevalence of chief complaints in a pediatric clinic population

To determine the type and frequency of chief complaints reported by parents of pediatric patients younger than 8 years of age in an optometry clinic. There have been many reports on prevalence of pediatric eye and vision disorders; however, the frequency of presenting complaints has not been carefully investigated.

578 patient charts were retrospectively evaluated to determine the entering chief complaint, representing a 28-month time period between January 1993 and April 1995. The subjects were classified by age, and the chief complaint was placed in one of eight categories.

The most frequently reported (30.1%) entering complaint for all subjects was the need for a routine vision examination. Each age category, however, had a unique distribution of complaints. Infants (1 to 11 months of age, n = 24) and young school age children (6 to 7-11 years of age, N = 233) most frequently reported complaints in the "other" category, at rates of 37.5% and 38.2%, respectively. Toddlers (12 to 36 months of age, N = 61) most commonly presented with complaints of an observed eye turn (39.3%), and preschoolers (3 to 5-11 years of age, N = 260) presented mainly for routine vision examinations (48.9%).

There was a large percentage of patients presenting for routine vision care, which may represent an encouraging trend in public education efforts concerning children's vision care needs. The relative frequency of chief complaints in each age category prepares the eye care practitioner to address common parental concerns. This information can help to improve vision care education and services for the pediatric population.