Vision Screening in Nigeria School Children

Abstract

The study was conducted to establish the ability of simple screening tests conducted by readily available non-ophthalmic personnel (such as teachers rather than ophthalmologists, the gold standard) to detect cases of reduced visual acuity in school children. Trained schoolteachers assessed the ability of pupils to read the E-chart at the 6/12 line. A total of 1618 students comprising 525 pupils from one government owned public primary school (mixed boys and girls) and 1093 from another private secondary school (boys only) school located in the metropolis were screened by the teachers. The trained schoolteachers were able to attain a sensitivity of 78.3% and specificity of 92.1% for the visual acuity testing. The trained schoolteachers were able to achieve reasonably high levels of specificity and modest levels of sensitivity in carrying out screening using visual acuity testing. Schoolteachers can reduce the workload of ophthalmic personnel who at the moment are few and are overworked. They can also play a vital role in vision testing exercises in school children especially in developing countries where there is little or no provision for school health services in school attended by those from a poor background.

KEY WORDS: Vision screening, school children

Nigerian Journal of Ophthalmology Vol. 9, No.1 (August 2001): pp 1-5