Vision Screening at School: What Do Primary Teachers Know, and How Can They Help?

Vision plays a critical role in a child's educational success, cognitive development, and social interaction. However, many children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Morocco, suffer from undiagnosed visual impairments during their school years. As teachers spend extended time with students, they are well-positioned to notice early signs of vision problems.

This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge that Moroccan primary school teachers have about children's visual health, identify gaps in awareness of common visual disorders, explore teachers' roles in detecting signs of visual issues in the classroom, and support the development of school-based vision screening strategies.

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 271 primary school teachers across different Moroccan regions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, knowledge of common visual disorders, awareness of behavioural signs, and current classroom practices. Statistical analyses were performed to examine associations between knowledge levels and variables such as gender, age, and teaching experience.

The majority of participants (84.9%) reported more than five years of teaching experience, corresponding to an estimated average of approximately nine years in the profession. Teachers demonstrated a better understanding of refractive errors and strabismus compared to ocular surface diseases and behavioural signs. Teaching experience was significantly associated with higher knowledge scores (p = 0.001), whereas no significant differences were found based on gender. Although age was not directly correlated with knowledge scores, older teachers were significantly more likely to report observing academic improvement in students after correcting visual problems (p = 0.0007), a perception also more frequent among those with greater teaching experience (p = 0.004). Despite existing knowledge gaps, teachers reported supportive practices such as adjusting classroom seating (94.5%) and informing parents (52.6%).

The findings highlight the potential value of providing targeted training programmes to help teachers play a more active role in recognising visual problems in children. Incorporating basic eye health education into teacher training curricula may support earlier detection and contribute to better child health outcomes in school environments, though further research is recommended to validate this approach.