Search

Background: Although studies compare the accuracy of spot photoscreeners, few evaluate photoscreeners in community settings. To our knowledge, all studies from India have been purely hospital based, particularly in children under 5 years. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a commercially available photoscreener for pediatric vision screening in a community setting. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted from December 2018 to February 2019 in a north-eastern district of Delhi. Methods: The automated Spot™ Vision Screener was used to screen the vision of preschoolers. A result displayed as “complete eye exam recommended” on the photoscreener was considered as screening positive and the child was referred to the pediatric ophthalmology unit of a tertiary eyecare institution, as per predefined international guidelines. Statistical Analysis: Referral rate and positive predictive value (PPV) of using the photoscreener were considered as primary outcome measures. Results: A total of 1205 children were screened using a photo-screener. Almost 16.4% of them were identified and referred a significantly higher referral rate than that in the historic control (2.7%, P < 0.001). Nearly 51.5% of the referred children reported to the unit. The PPV of pediatric eye screening done in a community setting by the photoscreener for refractive error (RE) was 81.4%. Fifty-nine percent of the children detected with REs were found to be at risk of amblyopia. Mean spherical equivalent, sphere, and cylinder of final glass prescription were significantly different from that of photoscreener refraction. Conclusion: Photoscreener improves the referral rate and has a high PPV. It could be a standard tool to screen preschoolers in community settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the onset of dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) and inferior oblique overaction (IOOA), their subsequent development, and their correlation with pre and postoperative parameters. Methods: Medical records of patients with infantile esotropia who underwent surgery between 2005 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. DVD and IOOA were measured before and after surgery. Patients were divided into two groups based on horizontal and vertical deviation at the time of presentation: those with infantile esotropia only (group A) and patients with infantile esotropia who developed vertical deviation (group B). Results: Out of a total of 102 patients, DVD occurrence was seen in 53 patients (51.9%) and IOOA was seen in 50 patients (48.04%). DVD was seen in 22 patients at the time of initial examination and in 31 patients postoperatively. IOOA at presentation was seen in 45 patients (44.1%) and 5 patients (8.8%) postoperatively. No statistical difference was found in the age of surgery, angle of deviation, mean follow-up, and mean refractive error within both groups. The postoperative motor outcome was statistically comparable between the two groups (P = 0.29). Sensory outcomes of fusion (P = 0.048) and stereopsis (P-value = 0.00063) were better in group A. Conclusion: No correlation was found between the age of occurrence and development of vertical deviation with refractive error, angle of deviation, age, or type of surgery. We found that motor outcomes are not affected but sensory outcomes are affected in patients with vertical deviations. This indicates that DVD and IOOA are developed due to inherent disruption of fusion and stereopsis.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of Spot photoscreener (PS) as a noncycloplegic photorefractor in detecting amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) in preschool children in an Indian eye clinic setting. Also, to derive appropriate cutoff values for screening to obtain maximum sensitivity and specificity of the device in detecting ARF. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the outpatient pediatric eye clinic at a tertiary eye care institute. A Spot PS was used to screen all the children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years that presented to the eye clinic from August 2018 to October 2018. This screening was followed by a complete eye examination, including cycloplegic refraction by a masked examiner. The 2013 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) guidelines were considered the standard cutoff values for clinically significant refractive error in children younger than 5 years of age. Results: The study comprised of 219 children. The Spot PS diagnosed 135 (61.64%) children with ARF as compared with 124 (56.62%) children detected by clinic examination. For ARF detection, the Spot photoscreeneer had 85.48% sensitivity, 69.47% specificity, 78.52% positive predictive value and 78.57% negative predictive value. The sensitivity for detection of strabismus and hypermetropia was very low (42% and 36%, respectively). The 95% limits of agreement ranged from −5.48 to +5.59 diopters (D) with a bias of 0.06 D for spherical equivalent between noncycloplegic photorefraction and cycloplegic refraction. Conclusion: The Spot PS may be used as a screening tool to detect ARF in children younger than 5 years of age keeping its limitations in consideration. However, the performance can be improved by modifying the cutoff values for the referral.