Primary Care Implementation of Instrument-Based Vision Screening for Young Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric ophthalmology
• Public health
• Primary care innovation

Background:

• Early vision screening in children is crucial for detecting conditions like amblyopia.
• While precise portable screening devices exist, their real-world effectiveness in busy pediatric settings remains unclear.
• Traditional chart-based screening has limitations in completion rates for preschool-aged children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of deploying portable instrument vision screening devices on screening completion rates in primary care pediatric settings.
• To assess the effectiveness of the SPOT Vision Screener in improving vision screening uptake among children aged 3-5 years.

Main Methods:

• An interrupted time series analysis was used to evaluate screening completion data before and after device implementation.
• Vision screening devices were deployed in 19 pediatric practices.
• Data were collected on the percentage of 3- to 5-year-old children completing vision screening at baseline and post-implementation.

Main Results:

• Baseline chart-based screening completion was 65.3%.
• Following device deployment, screening completion significantly increased, reaching a stable 86.5% by 12 weeks (P = .007).
• Improvement was most pronounced in 3-year-olds (44.0% to 79.8%), with notable gains in 4- and 5-year-olds as well.

Conclusions:

• The implementation of portable vision screening devices substantially enhanced completed screening rates among preschool-aged children in primary care.
• These devices offer a practical solution to improve early detection of vision impairments in pediatric populations.
• Increased screening completion facilitates timely intervention for conditions like amblyopia, preventing long-term vision loss.