A systematic review of vision screening tests for the detection of amblyopia

• Published in: Pediatrics (Evanston) Vol. 104; no. 5 Pt 2; p. 1220
• Main Authors: Kemper, A R, Margolis, P A, Downs, S M, Bordley, W C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.1999
• Subjects: Amblyopia - diagnosis; Child, Preschool; Humans; Mass Screening; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0031-4005

To review the test characteristics and the quality of evidence regarding available screening tests for the detection of amblyopia in preschool-aged children to help primary care practitioners select a screening strategy. Systematic review of published studies. The MEDLINE database was searched from 1966 through January 1999 using a broad and inclusive strategy. A total of 9551 citations were identified. All studies that compared the results of commercially available screening tests in preschool-aged children to ophthalmologic examination. The setting of the study, the age of the population, the type of screening test, criteria for a positive screen, criteria for the ophthalmologic examination, test characteristics, and measures of reliability were abstracted by 2 reviewers for each selected study. Four eligible articles were identified that studied the test characteristics of 3 screening tests. None of these studies were performed in a primary care setting. Each study used different criteria for failure of the ophthalmologic examination. None of the studies measured observer or test reliability. Few high-quality data exist regarding the performance of preschool vision screening. Important future work should include the development of a consensus gold standard ophthalmologic examination and evaluation of screening tests in the primary care setting.