School Vision Screening FAQs
These FAQs discuss topics including:School Vision Screening, the National Association of School Nurses (sometimes referred to as the School Nurse Association), and School Nurse Vision Screening.
School Vision Screening FAQs
School Vision Screening
Yes, if the vision screener is purchased by, and vision screenings are conducted under the supervision of,a licensed healthcare practitioner. Because iScreen Vision is a prescription device, federal law restricts the device to “sale by or on the order of a licensed healthcare practitioner.”
English and Spanish on the AAPOS website. (http://www.aapos.org/ahp/resources_for_school_nurses) Kathy Lee, MD, developed a Vision Screening Tutorial as a resource for school nurses. The tutorialdiscusses how to screen vision and the best practices in school vision screening. The tutorial covers topics including:
- Rationale for effective school vision screening
- Information regarding refractive errors, amblyopia and strabismus
- Elements of a successful screening program
- Pearls and pitfalls of traditional vision screening
- Examples of preferred and non-preferred charts
- Demonstration of the proper use of objective vision screening devices (ie photorefractors)
- Presentation of other elements of vision screening including color, stereoacuity and near vision
- Effective screening of special needs children
Yes. Dr. Lee also gave a talk about “Efficient and Effective School Vision Screening” at the 2010 NASN National Convention. The presentation is available for download at aapos.org/viewdocument/efficient-effective-school-vision
. According to Dr. Lee, the advantages of “objective” screening devices such as photoscreeners for vision screening in schools by school doctors or school nurses include:
- Allows testing of kids who can’t participate in subjective visual acuity testing
- Quick
- “Very accurate data.”
The disadvantages that Dr. Lee cites are that they don’t provide a visual acuity measure (e.g., 20/20), they can be expensive, and results can be manufacturer and user-dependent.
Another resource from the same 2010 convention is a lecture entitled Pediatric Ophthalmology for School Nurses: What You Need to Know.
This PowerPoint lecture includes 3 talks:
Common Causes of Red Eye in the Pediatric Population by Jane C. Edmond MD
Reading, Dyslexia and Vision by Sheryl M. Handler, MD
Vision Screening and Vision Screening Devices by Daniel E. Neely, MD
This Powerpoint is available on the AAPOS website here.
Because iScreen Vision is a photoscreener, it is designed to create digital “red reflex” images of a child’s eyes, which allows school nurses to screen the vision of children who are too young to use an eye chart, or Snellen chart, and also allows for a more comprehensive vision screening than vision screenings which school nurses perform with just eye charts. Source: American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) website athttp://www.aapos.org/ahp/resources_for_school_nurses.
School Vision Screening FAQs
These FAQs discuss topics including:School Vision Screening, the National Association of School Nurses (sometimes referred to as the School Nurse Association), and School Nurse Vision Screening.