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BEST PRACTICES: VISION SCREENING

Background Documents

Policy Statement: Vision Screening for Infants and Children -
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, August 2001 & American Academy of Ophthalmology Board of Trustees, October 2001.

Recommended Strategies

Parent Education and Public Awareness:

Promote the early identification of vision problems through education.  For example, coordinate brochures and other forms of information to include emphasis on:

• Any child whose parent/caregiver/teacher has concerns regarding visual development should be referred for screening.
• Any child who has the following medical conditions and/or diagnoses:
  • family history of amblyopia, strabismus, and any congenital ocular abnormality
  • Prenatal virus
  • Prenatal exposure to drugs
  • Prematurity and/or low birth weight
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Hearing loss
  • Syndromes of any kind
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Postnatal infection
  • Receives an ongoing medication such as an anticonvulsant

Coalition Building:

Many local community agencies that work with young and or at risk children are required by federal law to do vision screening.  A primary strategy for early childhood vision screening is the creation, implementation and maintenance of community interagency coalitions that will perpetuate the vision screening system.

• There should be a facilitation of parent/professional collaboration and a sharing of all health information about children with their parents.

• There should be provision of emotional and financial support for families.

• There should be a sensitivity to cultural differences,

• There should be encouragement of parent to parent support,

• There should be an incorporation of the developmental needs of infants, children and adolescents into health care plans.

• There should be the assurance of the availability of comprehensive services including social, emotional and cognitive aspects of health care.

• There should be a medical home and an interdisciplinary approach to care.

Standardization of Screening Procedures Statewide:

• The short term goal of the vision screening program is to establish standardized screening approaches with physicians and agencies that can serve children in the state of Colorado between the ages of six months and four years.

• The first long term goal of the screening program is to standardize screening procedures, testing protocols, products and follow-up procedures and make them available to all agencies public and private that serve children.

• A second long term goal is to collect the data concerning the degree of vision problems across the state and use it to analyze best next steps.

Legislation and Enforcement:  

• Create policies and laws that require population based vision screening of infants and toddlers in the state of Colorado.