Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System
Published on: March 17, 2023
Use of the Spot Vision Screener for patients with developmental disability
Amanda L Marzolf1, M Millicent Peterseim1, Blake D Forcina1
1Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
Insights
The Spot Vision Screener effectively detects amblyopia risk factors in children with developmental disabilities, showing good sensitivity and adequate specificity for screening purposes.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Eye Care
- Vision Screening Technology
Background:
- Amblyopia, or
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Spot Vision Screener in identifying amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) in children with developmental disabilities.
- Utilized the 2013 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) guidelines for ARF detection.
Main Methods:
- Prospective enrollment of 100 children with developmental disabilities undergoing pediatric ophthalmologic examinations (June 2012 - March 2016).
- Analysis included the presence of ARFs per AAPOS guidelines, refractive error, eye alignment, and other ocular pathologies.
- Assessed the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the Spot Vision Screener.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of ARFs in the study cohort was 38%.
- The Spot Vision Screener demonstrated a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 62% for detecting ARFs.
- Positive predictive value was 58%, and negative predictive value was 86%.
Conclusions:
- The Spot Vision Screener exhibited good sensitivity and adequate specificity for screening amblyopia risk factors in children with developmental disabilities.
- Automated vision screeners, like the Spot Vision Screener, show potential utility in screening this specific pediatric population.
Purpose:
To determine whether the Spot Vision Screener effectively detects amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) in patients with developmental disability using the 2013 guidelines of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS).
Methods:
Children with developmental disability presenting for complete pediatric ophthalmologic examination were prospectively enrolled between June 2012 and March 2016. The following data were analyzed: presence of ARFs according to the AAPOS guidelines, refraction, eye alignment, and other ocular pathology.
Results:
A total of 100 children (average age, 5.7 years; range, 2.2- 9.2 years) were included. The prevalence of ARFs in this cohort was 38%. The sensitivity of the Spot Vision Screener in detecting amblyopia risk factors was 84%; the specificity, 62%. The positive predictive value was 58%; the negative predictive value, 86%.
Conclusions:
In our study cohort the Spot Vision Screener provided good sensitivity and adequate specificity for a screening examination. Automated screeners may be useful in screening children with developmental disability.

