Comparison of Lea Symbols chart and Sheridan Gardiner chart in assessing vision screening among pre-school children: a Malaysia perspective.

Objective: Compare the performance of Lea Symbols and Sheridan Gardiner charts against the standard test chart used to determine reduced VA during vision screening among pre-schoolers.
Material and Method: Seven hundred seventy five pre-school participated where 389 subjects were boys and 386 subjects were girls were tested using the Lea Symbols chart and the Sheridan Gardiner chart. The mean age of the pre-school children was 5.3 +/- 0.7 years old.
Results: The Lea Symbols chart showed a higher sensitivity (97.5%) compared to the Sheridan Gardiner chart (57.1%). While the Sheridan Gardiner chart showed higher specificity (92.0%) compared to the Lea Symbols chart (45.0%).
Conclusion: The Lea Symbols chart offers a better pick-up rate of visual impairment during a vision-screening program especially cases of amblyopia among pre-school children compared to the Sheridan Gardiner chart in Malaysia.