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VISION SCREENER FOR SCHOOLS
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Quick Links
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The CITY Vision Screener for Schools is a Windows-based program designed to manage the complete vision screening process in schools from start to finish. The program is designed to be used by school nurses, teachers, orthoptists or anyone else responsible for vision screening in schools. The program is very easy to use and screening only takes approximately 3 minutes per child.
An evaluation of the system by City University on over 2500 children aged 5-11 showed the screener to be highly sensitive (96%) and specific (98%) for the target conditions. The program is currently used in over 400 schools in the UK and overseas.
The program takes all the hard work out of administering a vision screening program, from producing consent forms to generating customised reports for parents, teachers, reports for optometrists and doctors. Here is what the reviewers say:
“The Vision Screener for Schools has revolutionized vision screening in our area. It is fast and accurate and the kids love it!”
“We have been surprised by how many children have poor vision. This program should be used in every school.”
“This software takes all the hard work out of vision screening. Beautiful customised letters are produced for parents at the click of a button.”
“The program has been developed by people who understand the challenges of screening young children. It has been very well thought through.”
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Why screen schoolchildren?
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Most learning activities involve the use of the eyes. Tasks such as reading, viewing the board or a computer screen are particularly demanding for the eyes.
However, research has shown that approximately 20% of schoolchildren have some form of visual defect. It is vital that these problems are detected at the earliest opportunity if these children are to reach their full potential.
The City University Vision Screener for Schools provides a powerful new tool for detecting children with visual defects
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How it works
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Parental consent and questionnaire
Each child is issued with a printed questionnaire / consent form for their parents to complete
The child's name and the questionnaire responses are entered into the program prior to screening.
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The Tests
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The tests: All of the tests (except for colour vision), are presented on the computer screen.
The operator simply has to record the children’s response to each test by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the screen
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Colour vision: Children view 4 selected plates from the Ishihara book and report what they see.
The operator enters their response by clicking on the corresponding buttons on the screen.
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Stereopsis: The ability to see in depth is dependent on having two good eyes with good binocular alignment. Stereopsis tests therefore provide a very efficient way of detecting squints (strabismus), lazy eyes (amblyopia) and a variety of other conditions.
Children have to identify the shapes that “stand out” from four red/green random dot stereograms. The operator records the number that they get correct
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Fixation disparity: Many children have difficulty co-ordinating their eyes when reading.
The near fixation disparity test has been shown to be very effective in identifying these children
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Distance Visual Acuity is measured using a crowded linear logMAR chart. Letter size is initially set at a size that children should be able to see. If they cannot read all 5 letters, the size is increased in 0.1 logMAR steps.
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Blur test: Children view the letters through +2.50DS lenses (provided). This should blur the letters so they cannot be read.
However, long-sighted (hyperopic) will still be able to read the letters.
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Reports and Admin Functions
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Admin functions: Having completed a screening, the data is automatically stored in the database. The program can then produce a wide variety of letters and reports for parents, teachers optometrists etc.
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Parents’ letter: The program automatically analyses the symptoms, history, family history and test results to put together a customised letter for the child’s parents. The letter explains the exact nature of any problems and explains what action the parents should take.
The wording of these reports can be customised to comply with different screening protocols.
A similar customised report can be generated for teachers and a referral letter is automatically generated for children who fail the screening.
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Statistics: The program makes it easy to keep track of the screening, supplying a complete breakdown of the number of children failing the test and the reasons why.
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