Testing for hypermetropia in the school vision screening programme

The need and accuracy of a hypermetropia test, recommended as a screening test in Swedish schools, was evaluated in a series of 118 8-year-old children not wearing glasses. The distant visual acuity was determined without correction and with plus spheres of two different strengths, +1.5 D and +2.0 D respectively. When compared to the objective refraction and with an arbitrary limit of hypermetropia of +2.5 diopters, it could be shown that neither of the hypermetropia tests fulfilled the criteria of an adequate screening test. Except for two children all hypermetropics beyond +3.0 were previously known. The reading skills of the children were estimated by their teachers. No correlation was found between the degree of hypermetropia and reading difficulties. The results indicate that the hypermetropia test could be omitted from the regular vision tests of schoolchildren, at least in areas covered with an efficient pre-school vision screening.