Costs and effectiveness of two models of school-entry visual acuity screening in the UK.

Cost effectiveness of different visual screening modalities cannot be calculated without long-term outcome data. This paper reports detailed outcomes from a gold-standard UK recommended orthoptist-delivered screening (ODS) at 4-5 years in school, compared to a neighboring school-nurse delivered screening (SNDS), both feeding into the same treatment pathway. The target condition was reduced visual acuity (VA) of worse than logMAR 0.

Is microtropia a reliable indicator of the presence of amblyopia in anisometropic patients?

Aim: A study was carried out to determine if the presence of microtropia with identity is a reliable indicator for the presence of amblyopia, and likely need for occlusion, following optical treatment in "straight-eyed" anisometropic children.

Method: A retrospective case note review was carried out of all children referred from Orthoptic school vision screening during a 10-year period. Children who had unequal visual acuity, no manifest strabismus and who were prescribed spectacles to correct anisometropia (inter-ocular difference one dioptre or more in any meridian) were included in the study.