Reliability of visual acuity in children with reduced vision

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Eye Care
• Vision Science

Background:

• Reduced vision in children necessitates reliable assessment methods.
• Understanding visual acuity test-retest reliability is crucial for clinical diagnosis and monitoring in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of unaided distance visual acuity measurements in children referred to a hospital eye service.
• To compare the reliability of visual acuity in better versus poorer eyes in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• 18 children with reduced vision underwent two visual acuity tests one week apart.
• Unaided distance visual acuity was measured using logarithmically scaled letter charts.
• Coefficients of repeatability were calculated for left and right eyes, and for better and poorer eyes.

Main Results:

• Coefficients of repeatability were +/- 0.25 and +/- 0.21 log units for left and right eyes, respectively.
• For children with one consistently poorer eye, repeatability was +/- 0.15 log units (better eye) and +/- 0.22 log units (poorer eye).
• Visual acuity reliability in the better eye approached that of normal adults, while the poorer eye's reliability was comparable to adult clinical populations.

Conclusions:

• Unaided distance visual acuity testing demonstrates acceptable test-retest reliability in children with reduced vision.
• The reliability of visual acuity measurements varies between better and poorer eyes in this pediatric cohort.
• Findings suggest that visual acuity assessment in children's poorer eyes may be less consistent than in their better eyes, similar to adult clinical observations.