Vision screening in children: Is 7-9 years of age a threshold for visual impairment?

Objective: the present study aimed to assess the prevalence of decreased visual acuity,strabismus,and spectacle wear in children aged 5 to 13 years. methods: a cross-sectional study was performed in primary education schools. a total of 1938 participants,including 940 females (48.5%) and 998 males (51.5%) with a mean age 8.96 ± 2.31 (5-13 years old),were screened. the comparisons were performed with gender,age,and age groups. the children attended to vision screening were assigned to three age groups as 5-6 years,7-9 years,and 10-13 years. results: the prevalence of the parameters was detected as decreased visual acuity 12.4%,strabismus 2.2%,and spectacle wear 6.9%. the prevalence of decreased visual acuity was significantly higher in girls and in children aged 7-9 years old (p = 0.013,p < 0.001). the prevalence of spectacle wear was significantly higher in girls and in children aged 7-9 years old (p = 0.019,p < 0.001). there was a visual acuity decrease in 33 of 106 (31.1%) children despite wearing own spectacle. there was no significant difference among three age groups for strabismus. conclusion: increased prevalence of decreased visual acuity,as well as the higher frequency of spectacle wear in children at ages of 7-9 years old may point out a threshold for visual impairment. © 2016,professional medical publications. all rights reserved.