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Preschool vision screening in primary care after a legislative mandate for diagnostic eye examinations
Alex R Kemper1, Kathryn E Fant, J Thomas Badgett
1Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan, 6C19 300 N. Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456, USA. kempera@med.umich.edu
Background:
Kentucky legislation now requires that children entering public school receive a diagnostic eye examination.
Methods:
Mail survey of randomly selected office-based primary care pediatricians (PDs, n = 221) and family physicians (FPs, n = 207) in Kentucky to assess the impact of the mandated eye examination.
Results:
The response rate was 71% PDs and 51% FPs. Most offer preschool vision screening (PD 86%; FP 79%; P = 0.16), but many report they will be less likely to offer it in the future because of the mandated diagnostic eye examination (PD 61%; FP 50%; P = 0.09). Perceived barriers to the diagnostic eye examination include lack of parental knowledge about the requirement, belief by parents that they will need to pay, difficulty in getting an appointment, and lack of endorsement by primary care physicians.
Conclusion:
Most primary care physicians in Kentucky offer preschool vision screening, but many now are likely to reduce their screening effort. Until more data are available regarding the impact of the required eye examination, primary care providers should not change their screening practices.
