Validation study of the New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA) Vision Screening Battery

The New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA) Vision Screening Battery was administered to 1983 grade school children. Complete visual examinations were performed on 125 children. A consensus method for determining a diagnosis was developed and a double-blind paradigm was used to validate the screening battery. The sensitivity was found to be 71.7% and the specificity to be 65%. When compared to the Snellen test, the NYSOA battery is far more sensitive. The Snellen test is 100% specific but misses 75.5% of the children found to have vision problems when given a complete visual examination.