New Possibilities for Screening of Refractive Errors among Children

Purpose: To establish early detection of refractive errors among children in Slovakia. Different screening methods have been evaluated and compared in this work.
Materials and methods: we have been working on a prospective study. Pre-school children in kindergardens in Central Slovakia were checked up between years 2009–2011. Effectiveness of various screening methods was compared within 2 groups, using test-type and Plusoptix Vision Screener. Parent´s of children positive to refractive errors were recommended to consult a paediatrician ophthalmologist.
Results: 3982 children were examined. As a result, 13–14.1% of children who have not been examinated by the specialist, were positive. 53.3% of them went to see the doctor afterwards.
Conclusion: establishment of early refractive errors screening is an important method how to prevent strabismus and amblyopia. It is very important to improve parent´s knowledge about the risk of refractive errors and also to improve screening methods with collaboration with kindergarten teachers.