Vision Screening
Indicator #6: Vision Screening
Indicator 6A: Percentage of BC kindergarten students who have been screened for vision problems.
Indicator 6B: Percentage of BC kindergarten students who have been referred for further diagnostic testing after vision screening.
Key Messages
- Eye-related disorders (e.g., amblyopia, strabismus, significant refractive error) are some of the most common impairments in children, occurring in an estimated 2–5 per cent of preschool children.1
- Routine eye examinations are a Medical Services Plan benefit for all children age 18 and younger, and are encouraged.
- A recent BC Government review found that while kindergarten screening for amblyopia (the most prevalent vision problem in early childhood) is clinically effective, it has very low population health impact and very high cost relative to its effectiveness.2 Based on these findings, vision screening will no longer be included as an indicator among this suite of child and youth health indicators, and data on vision screening are not provided.
References
- Human Early Learning Partnership. BC early childhood vision screening program. Final evaluation report. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia; 2012 Aug [cited 2016 Jun 13]. Available from: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/managing-your-health/women-chil….
- Government of British Columbia, Child Health BC, Doctors of BC. The lifetime prevention schedule for children and youth. Establishing priorities among effective clinical prevention services in British Columbia for children and youth – summary and technical report, July 2014 update [prepared by H. Krueger & Associates Inc.]. Victoria, BC: Government of British Columbia; 2014 Jul [cited 2016 Jul 4].