Results of school eye screening of 5.4 million children in India--a five-year follow-up study

Abstract

Purpose: To assess results of a vision screening programme in schools in India, 5 years after its introduction.

Material: Questionnaires on school eye screening activities were sent to 200 randomly selected districts.

Methods: Data from 61 districts were analysed, using process indicators to assess performance at different stages of the screening procedure.

Results: Teachers screened 5.39 million children in 61 districts. Refraction was done on 205,082 children (3.8%) and 43,922 children (0.8%) were provided with spectacles. Children of 10-15 years have more refractive errors. Different stages in the procedure are evaluated.

Conclusion: Vision screening in schools has been taken up successfully in many districts in India. This has reduced the workload of eye care staff and increased the coverage. The simplicity of the procedure facilitates widespread application. Many parents take their children to the private sector for services. Monitoring and reporting needs to be improved.