School Screening – referral Criteria & Incidence of Ocular Disorders in the Blacktown Local Government Area of Western Sydney

School Screening – referral Criteria & Incidence of Ocular Disorders in the Blacktown Local Government Area of Western Sydney
Lee Jones, DipAppSc(Orthoptics) DOBA

Students in kindergarten and Year 5 (n=3,289) underwent primary or secondary vision screening by the Community Orthoptist as part of the community health program for the Blacktown local government area during 1996 and 1997. This paper documents the visual screening standards used and the incidence of referral. The statistics demonstrate the need for school screening to continue and the importance of screening Year 5 as well as Kindergarten children with a total referral rate of 20.6%. Visual acuity accounted for 16.7% of this total, and ocular muscle defects rated at 3.9%.