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Visual acuity percentile curves in a Spanish paediatric population
Borja Navas-Navia1, Laura Garcia-Montero1, Belén Pérez-Sanchez2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
This study establishes visual acuity percentile curves for Spanish children aged 3-12, aiding early detection of vision problems like amblyopia and myopia.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Optometry
- Public Health
Background:
- Establishing normative data for visual acuity is crucial for identifying developmental delays and potential vision impairments in children.
- Existing visual acuity charts may not accurately reflect the visual capabilities of diverse pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate percentile curves for monocular and binocular visual acuity in Spanish children aged 3 to 12 years.
- To provide a reference standard for assessing visual development in this specific demographic.
- To aid in the early identification of visual deficits.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study was conducted.
- 1300 children aged 3-12 years without known ocular or systemic diseases were recruited from the Community of Madrid.
- Far monocular and binocular visual acuity were measured using the Bueno Matilla vision unit and symmetrical letters test.
Main Results:
- Age-related increases in visual acuity were observed across all percentile curves.
- The 50th percentile for visual acuity approached 1.0 (decimal scale) around 5 years and 3 months for monocular vision, and slightly earlier for binocular vision.
- Percentile values (5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95) were calculated for both monocular and binocular acuity.
Conclusions:
- The developed percentile curves can assist pediatric professionals in identifying children who may require referral to an eyecare specialist.
- Early detection of conditions such as amblyopia and the initial stages of school myopia is facilitated by these normative data.
- While the convenience sampling limits generalizability, the curves offer valuable clinical guidance.
Purpose:
The main objective of this study is to obtain percentile curves of monocular and binocular visual acuity on a decimal scale in a Spanish population aged between 3 and 12 years old.
Materials And Method:
Descriptive, observational and transversal study which included children between 3 and 12 years old without any known eye and/or systemic diseases. The selection of the sample was made by means of a convenience sampling method carried out in three schools and a hospital of the Community of Madrid. Far monocular and binocular visual acuity was measured using the Bueno Matilla vision unit on a decimal scale, both for monocular and binocular tests. The test used was the symmetrical letters test included with this unit. A descriptive statistic was performed and the visual acuity percentile values obtained were 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90 and 95.
Results:
The visual acuity of 1300 children was evaluated and analysed. In all the percentile curves obtained, an increase in age-related visual acuity has been observed, reaching a value close to the unit for the 50th percentile, around five years and three months of age, under monocular conditions and somewhat earlier in binocular conditions.
Conclusion:
Although the type of sampling performed does not allow a generalization to the entire population, these percentile curves may help the paediatric professional to decide the referral of the relevant child to the eyecare professional, so that certain conditions, like amblyopia or the early stages of school myopia may be early detected.
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