Certified Screenings for School-Aged Children

Certified Children's Vision Screenings

The Certified Children’s Vision Screening Program was developed by a national panel of experts assembled through Prevent Blindness America to address the inadequacies and inconsistencies in Children Vision Screening across the nation.  Once established, the techniques and procedures for conducting the screening were developed into a comprehensive training manual, which is now being used across the United States to teach vision screening techniques to school and pediatric nurses as well as community volunteers.

This screening program accurately and efficiently detects vision problems in school aged children, and is quickly becoming the “preferred method” for screening children in the state mandated school vision screenings.  The certified screening procedures are endorsed in Virginia by the Virginia Society of Ophthalmology, the Medical Society of Virginia, the Virginia Optometric Association, the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians, and the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Why is Screening Children So Important?

While only an eye care professional can diagnose and treat a vision problem, screening helps find children who are in need of a full eye exam.  Vision problems affect 1 in 20 pre-schoolers.  They also affect 1 in 4 school-age children.  Yet, over 80% of preschool and school-age children never receive an eye exam.  Children often do not know when they are not seeing properly.  Without early detection and treatment, children’s vision problems can lead to:

• permanent vision loss
• learning difficulties and
• delayed development 

What is a Certified Children’s Vision Screening?

A Certified Children’s vision screening is a systematic way of approaching mass vision screenings for children.  There are 4 major components to the screening program developed to insure consistency as well as accuracy for each child being screened.  The Certified Vision Screening Program addresses: Observation, Distance Acuity, Stereopsis, and Follow-up.  As a participating partner in the Certified Vision Screening Program you will have access to the latest in screening techniques, technologies and equipment, and will be encouraged to use Prevent Blindness as your primary resource for your vision needs.  Prevent Blindness also offers some assistance in eye exams and glasses through the VSP Sight for Students program as well tracking follow ups.

School Nurses or Administrators interested in providing Certified Children's Vision Screenings for your students, click here

School Nurses already certified, click here to access our School Nurse Resource Center