Epidemiological study of the development of visual acuity in preschoolers aged 3 to 6 in the Shenzhen area.

Purpose: To investigate the visual acuity of preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years in Shenzhen of China.

Methods: Visual acuity was measured in preschoolers from eight kindergartens in Shenzhen.

Results: A total of 1147 children completed the visual acuity test.There were 77 boys and 62 girls aged 3 years, 259 and 216 aged 4, 193 and 160 aged 5 and 94 and 86 aged 6. The mean visual acuities of children aged 3, 4, 5, and 6 years were 0.51+/-0.10, 0.54+/-0.13, 0.65+/-0.14, and 0.71+/-0.17, respectively. The visual acuity was significantly improved with increasing age (P=0.000).

Conclusion: For preschoolers aged 3 to 6, the visual acuity continuously develops and improves. Therefore, age should be considered when diagnosing amblyopia in children.