Building capacity: paediatric vision screening in elementary schools

A programme evaluation was conducted of a vision screening programme, in an urban elementary school in Saskatchewan, with 26 kindergarten and grade one students. The vision screening was completed by students in their fourth year of a Bachelor of Science in nursing programme and the teacher for visually impaired students using the Lea Symbol Assessment charts. The elementary students were assessed for both near and distant vision, at 40 cm and 3 m, respectively. Of the 26 students assessed, 42% of kindergarten students and 29% of grade one students required a referral to an optometrist based on the visual acuity standards. Building capacity for a school-based vision screening and referral process requires collaboration across health and education sectors including relationship building with students and families. Recommendations for future practice include capacity building and recognising disparities in Indigenous health and improving access to healthcare resources for Indigenous families.