AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study investigates the connection between poverty and vision problems in children by comparing vision screening results between Title 1 schools (those with higher rates of poverty) and Non-Title 1 schools.
  • - Findings show that referral rates for eye exams have risen, particularly in Title 1 schools, where about 25.2% of students were referred compared to 11.9% from Non-Title 1 schools, mainly due to higher astigmatism rates among Title 1 students.
  • - The research concludes that Title 1 students are at greater risk for amblyopia, indicating a need for more eye care interventions to help mitigate this risk.

Article Abstract

Purpose: Interventions such as eye exams and glasses are used to correct visual problems that may lead to amblyopia, an irreversible decrease in visual acuity. Children with limited access to these interventions are more likely to have unaddressed visual problems that can lead to amblyopia or negatively impact school performance. This study compared vision screening results of children in schools with Title 1 or Non-Title 1 designation to investigate the link between poverty and vision.

Methods: Data from KidsFIRST vision screenings conducted with the SPOT photoscreener performed in Rapid City Area elementary schools were compared across multiple parameters. Students were referred for eye examinations based on identifying the following problems: anisometropia, anisocoria, astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, gaze misalignment, or a combination.

Results: Overall, eye exam referral rates have increased since 2012 (11.9% in 2012, 19.7% in 2023), with a disproportionate increase in referrals from Title 1 schools (25.2% in 2023) vs. Non-Title 1 schools (11.9% in 2023) ( < 0.001). This is largely due to a significantly higher prevalence of astigmatism referrals in Title 1 students (20.9%) compared to Non-Title 1 students (7.5%). Although a higher percentage of Title 1 students are reported to have eye correction (24.4% vs 16.6%), only a slightly higher percentage of Title 1 students wore eye correction during screening (11.5% vs 10.5%).

Conclusion: Students at Title 1 schools may have a higher rate of amblyopia risk factors. Additional eye care-based interventions should be taken to reduce the risk of amblyopia in this population.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2024.2399348DOI Listing

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