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Pediatric Vision Screening in Alberta

Theme:
Paediatric Ophthalmology
What:
Paper Presentation | Présentation d'article
When:
2:25 PM, Saturday 11 Jun 2022 (10 minutes)
Where:
How:

Authors: Kiana Wiebe, Stephanie Dotchin. 
University of Calgary.

Author Disclosure Block: K. Wiebe: None. S. Dotchin: All other investments or relationships that could be seen by a reasonable, well-informed participant as having the potential to influence the content of the educational activity; Name of for-profit or not-for-profit organization(s); Alcon, Santen.

 

Title: Pediatric Vision Screening in Alberta

 

Abstract Body:

Purpose: Pediatric eye health is a critical component of a child’s overall ability to learn in a school environment. School aged children may be unaware of visual disturbances that impede their ability to succeed and may even lead to inappropriate diagnoses of cognitive ability. Alberta Health Care covers an initial comprehensive eye exam for all young Albertans. The aim of this resource is early detection, diagnosis and treatment of essential pediatric eye conditions such as refractive error, strabismus and amblyopia as children enter the school system. However, it is not clear how effective this vision screening has been across Alberta and which members of the pediatric population have been accessing these resources. In order to maximize the impact of vision screening efforts, it is crucial that access practices to these services be examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the usage of provincial vision screening resources by the pediatric population under 10 years of age, with specific interest in ages entering the school system (4, 5 and 6 years).
Study Design: Retrospective data review
Methods: Data was collected from Alberta Health (AH) and Statistics Canada (StatCan). AH data included billing information for all children ages 0-10 years who visited an optometrist or ophthalmologist in Alberta between 2013-2020. Data was aggregated by mapping StatCan Dissemination Areas to AH local geographic areas.
Results: A total of approximately 622 800 children between the ages of 0 and 10 had their first vision screening by an optometrist or ophthalmologist in Alberta during 2013-2020. Of these children, 10.9%, 13.1% and 11.0% were ages 4, 5 and 6 years, respectively. Of the total screened population, 96% of these children had been seen before age 10. Additionally, the screened population was examined according to geographic region; with greatest resource utilization largely trending positively with population density.
Conclusions: Pediatric vision screening is a crucial component of preventative healthcare. Early diagnosis and treatment of vision conditions in young children may help decrease the prevalence of vision-related learning issues and misdiagnoses in school aged children. Currently, many of Alberta’s children enter the school system without vision screening despite a comprehensive exam being covered by Alberta Health Care. This study is an important step in understanding patterns of access to pediatric vision screening services in Alberta and to inform increasingly effective delivery of these resources.

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