Acceptance and Policies of Accommodating Children Requiring Amblyopia Treatment at Nursery School

• Published in: JAPANESE ORTHOPTIC JOURNAL Vol. 48; pp. 137 - 144
• Main Authors: Sakai, Ayaka, Nakagawa, Maki, Usui, Chie, Hayashi, Takao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED ORTHOPTISTS 2019
• Subjects: amblyopia treatment; medical practice; nursery school; questionnaire survey
• ISSN: 0387-5172; 1883-9215
• DOI: 10.4263/jorthoptic.048F115

[Purpose] Recently, there has been an increase in the employment rate of child-rearing women and the number of children attending nursery school from infancy. Since it is essential for patients with amblyopia to start the treatment with training when their visual sensitivity is still high, several cases of nursery school children receiving amblyopia treatment have been reported. However, not all the nursery schools understand the importance of amblyopia treatment. Therefore, we conducted a survey on the current status regarding how nursery schools accommodate children undergoing amblyopia treatment. [Patients and Methods] An anonymous questionnaire survey was distributed to 157 public and private nursery schools in the area surrounding Teikyo University Hospital between February and June 2018. The survey included questions regarding the number of children wearing glasses or under amblyopia treatment, the school's policies regarding amblyopia treatment, and any concerns or questions regarding the care of children with amblyopia or strabismus.[Results] A total of 67 (42.7%) nursery schools responded to our survey. Of 67, 36 schools had children wearing glasses and 4 had children undergoing amblyopia treatment. Regarding children who required amblyopia treatment during their stay at the school, respectively 97%, 76.1%, and 67.2% of the 67 schools could accommodate the childrens' needs for wearing glasses, undergoing occlusion treatment, and receiving atropine therapy. [Conclusion] Children's safety is always the first priority of a nursery school. Careful explanations should be provided for the school staff to completely understand the purpose and methods for amblyopia treatment and to respond appropriately to children who require treatment. To care for children with amblyopia, medical practitioners, guardians, and nursery schools should share the information about the child's conditions and thus, good tripartite communication and cooperation are important.