Vision screening in a national sample of 11-year-old children

This report describes the results of vision screening carried out by local health authorities on a national sample of 11-year-old schoolchildren using a standard Snellen chart. Of the 12 772 children tested, 78% had an unaided distant visual acuity of 6/6 or better in both eyes (optimal vision), 10% had a distant visual acuity of 6/9 in the worse or both eyes (near-optimal vision) and 12% had a visual acuity of 6/12 or worse in one or both eyes eyes (definite visual defect). In addition, near visual acuity was tested for 12 737 children and 5% were found to have defective near vision. Glasses had been prescribed for current use in 12% of children but a quarter of those prescribed glasses did not have them available at the time of the test. Testing revealed that 22% of children whose glasses were available had optimal or near-optimal unaided distant vision, the number increasing to 98% when retested wearing glasses. In contrast, 43% of the children who were without their glasses had optimal or near-optimal vision; 27% had a bilateral defect. Amongst the children for whom glasses had not been prescribed 4-6% had a visual defect. A higher proportion of children from non-manual family background than from manual family background had visual impairment and had been prescribed glasses, but there was no significant social class difference amongst the children with visual defects for whom no glasses had been prescribed. A defect of red/green colour vision was recorded in 6% of boys and 1% of girls. The proportion of children with poor visual acuity was similar in the group of children with defective colour vision and the group with normal colour vision.