Outcomes of an Elementary School-Based Vision Screening Program in North Carolina

Abstract

School nurses can play a key role in the detection of significant refractive error. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a statewide school nurse vision screening program by evaluating the outcomes of screening among first, third, and fifth graders in 10 schools in North Carolina during the 2009–2010 school year. Of the 2,726 children who were screened, 7.7% (n = 209) were abnormal, of which 89% (n = 186) were placed into a comprehensive database for follow-up. No documentation of any follow-up was available for 35% (n = 65) of these children. Of the 106 with complete eye examination data available, 54.7% (n = 58) had myopia, 22.6% (n = 24) had hyperopia, 11.3% (n = 12) had astigmatism, 1.9% (n = 2) had anisometropia, and 9.4% (n = 10) were normal. Even with incomplete follow-up, this screening activity led to identification of 3 cases for every 100 children screened, underscoring the importance of high-quality school-based vision screening programs.