Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Focusing of Light in the Eye

Focusing of Light in the Eye

Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Low concentration atropine eye drops and progression of myopia in children: multicentre placebo controlled, double masked, randomised trial in the UK (CHAMP-UK).

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2026

Same author

Head-to-Head Comparative Evaluation of Four Commercially Available Artificial Intelligence Systems for Detecting Referable Diabetic Retinopathy in a Tanzanian Population.

Diabetes care·2026

Same author

Response to letter: 'Towards equitable implementation of AI-assisted screening for diabetic retinopathy: Perspectives on digital literacy, trust and system readiness in developing countries'.

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2026

Same author

The Impact of Myopia Control Spectacle Lens Designs on Visual Function.

Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)·2026

Same author

Refractive Error Centile Curves for Asian and Western Children and Adolescents: An Individual Level Meta-Analysis.

Investigative ophthalmology & visual science·2025

Same author

Automated retinal image analysis systems to triage for grading of diabetic retinopathy: a large-scale, open-label, national screening programme in England.

The Lancet. Digital health·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System

An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System

Published on: March 17, 2023

Visual acuity measures do not reliably detect childhood refractive error--an epidemiological study.

Lisa O'Donoghue¹, Alicja R Rudnicka, Julie F McClelland

¹School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, N. Ireland, United Kingdom. l.odonoghue@ulster.ac.uk

|April 4, 2012

Summary

Vision screening using uncorrected visual acuity effectively detects myopia in school children but struggles with hyperopia and astigmatism. Current UK protocols may not adequately identify these refractive errors.

More Related Videos

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients

Published on: March 29, 2022

Stereoacuity Improvement using Random-Dot Video Games

Stereoacuity Improvement using Random-Dot Video Games

Published on: January 14, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System

An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System

Published on: March 17, 2023

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients

Published on: March 29, 2022

Stereoacuity Improvement using Random-Dot Video Games

Stereoacuity Improvement using Random-Dot Video Games

Published on: January 14, 2020

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Pediatric Optometry
Public Health Vision Screening

Background:

Refractive errors are common in school-aged children.
Effective screening methods are crucial for early detection and intervention.
Uncorrected visual acuity is a potential screening tool, but its efficacy varies by refractive error type.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the effectiveness of uncorrected visual acuity (logMAR) in screening for refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism) in white school children.
To assess screening utility in two age groups: 6-7 years and 12-13 years.

Main Methods:

The Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction (NICER) study employed a stratified random cluster design.
Children underwent detailed eye examinations, including logMAR visual acuity and cycloplegic autorefraction.
Refractive error was classified based on spherical equivalent in the right eye.

Main Results:

In 6-7 year olds, a logMAR cut-off of <0.20 had 50% sensitivity and 92% specificity for refractive error.
In 12-13 year olds, the same cut-off showed 73% sensitivity and 93% specificity.
For myopia detection in 12-13 year olds, sensitivity was 92% and specificity 91%; for hyperopia, sensitivity was 41% and specificity 84%.

Conclusions:

LogMAR visual acuity screening reliably detects myopia in school children.
Screening is less effective for identifying hyperopia and astigmatism.
Current UK vision screening protocols may require revision to effectively detect uncorrected hyperopic and astigmatic refractive errors.