12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care: Part 3-Standardized Approach for Rescreening.

Strong school-based vision and eye health systems include 12 key components to be implemented before, during, and after the actual vision screening event. The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to provide guidance for school nurses for each of the 12 key components via a Vision and Eye Health webpage on the NASN website ( https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/vision-health ). This online resource is designed to support school nurses accountable for vision screening and maintaining the eye health of preschool- and school-age children. This NCCVEH/NASN webpage addresses key activities that provide overall support for a child's vision and eye health-beginning with parent/caregiver education and ending with an annual evaluation of the school's vision and eye health system. NASN School Nurse is publishing information about each of these 12 components. The May 2019 installment provided details about the 12 Components approach as a whole and Components 1 and 2: Family Education and a Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process. The July 2019 edition described Components 3 and 4: Vision Screening Tools and Procedures and Vision Health for Children With Special Health Care Needs. This article describes Component 5: Standardized Approach for Rescreening.

12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care: Part 2-Vision Screening Tools and Procedures and Vision Health for Children With Special Health Care Needs.

Successful vision screening efforts require the implementation of 12 key components of a strong vision health system of care. The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to provide guidance around these 12 components via a Vision and Eye Health webpage on the NASN website ( https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/vision-health ). This online resource is organized according to the 12 Components of a Strong Vison Health System of Care to support school nurses accountable for screening the vision of preschool and K-12 students. This NCCVEH/NASN webpage addresses key activities that support a child's vision health-beginning with parent/caregiver education and ending with an annual evaluation of the school's vision health system. Each of these 12 components will be described in NASN School Nurse. The May 2019 installment provided information about the 12 components approach as a whole and details on Family Education and a Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process. This installment describes Components 3 and 4: Vision Screening Tools and Procedures and Vision Health for Children with Special Health Care Needs.

12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care: Components 1 and 2-Family Education and Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process.

The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness partnered with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to provide guidance for school nurses responsible for screening the vision of preschool and K-12 students. Goals of this national partnership are to (1) standardize approaches to vision health, (2) facilitate follow up to eye care for students who do not pass vision screening, (3) provide family/caregiver friendly educational information, and (4) consult with leading pediatric eye care experts to promote evidence-based best practices. The NCCVEH/NASN partnership created a Vision and Eye Health page on the NASN website ( https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/vision-health ). This resource is organized according to the 12 Components of a Strong Vision Health System of Care. The 12 components emerged as the NCCVEH considered vision screening from a systems perspective. This systems perspective addresses key activities along the entire spectrum of care that supports a child's vision health-beginning with parent/caregiver education and ending with an annual evaluation of the school's vision health system. Each of these 12 components will be described in 4 installments of NASN School Nurse in 2019. This installment describes the first two components: Family Education and a Comprehensive Communication/Approval Process.

School Based Vision Centers: striving to optimize learning.

The successful delivery of comprehensive pediatric vision care after vision screening referral is a longstanding challenge that has significant implications for child wellness. In response to the many known obstacles that prevent the diagnosis and treatment of vision conditions, School-Based Vision Centers have been established in Framingham, MA and Boston, MA to provide easy access to comprehensive vision care following a failed vision screening. These on-site Vision Centers were developed to improve access to comprehensive vision care and treatment thereby correcting vision conditions that can adversely affect student academic achievement, athletic performance, and self-esteem. This paper highlights the collaboration between two public schools in Massachusetts and The New England Eye Institute and describes a multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive care delivery to high-risk pediatric populations in school-based settings. The ultimate goal of this model is to minimize visual barriers that may impede learning in order to maximize academic success and wellness.

A survey of clinical prescribing philosophies for hyperopia.

BACKGROUND: Prescribing philosophies for hyperopic refractive error in symptom-free children vary widely because relatively little information is available regarding the natural history of hyperopic refractive error in children and because accommodation and binocular function closely related to hyperopic refractive error vary widely among children. We surveyed pediatric optometrists and ophthalmologists to evaluate typical prescribing philosophies for hyperopia. METHODS: Practitioners were selected from the American Academy of Optometry Binocular Vision, Perception, and Pediatric Optometry Section; the College of Vision Development; the pediatric and binocular vision faculty members of the colleges of optometry; and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Surveys were mailed to 314 participants: 212 optometrists and 102 ophthalmologists. RESULTS: A total of 161 (75%) of the optometrists and 59 (57%) of the ophthalmologists responded. About one-third of optometrists surveyed prescribe optical correction for symptom-free 6-month-old infants with +3.00 D to +4.00 D hyperopia, but fewer than 5% of ophthalmologists prescribe at this level. Most eye care practitioners prescribe optical correction for symptom-free 2-year-old children with +5.00 D of hyperopia, and this criterion for hyperopia decreases with age. Most ophthalmologists (71.4%) prescribe the full amount of astigmatism and less than the full amount of cycloplegic spherical component, and most optometrists (71.6%) prescribe less than the full amount of both components. When prescribing less than the full amount of astigmatism, eye care practitioners do not tend to prescribe a specific proportion of the cycloplegic refractive error. CONCLUSION: Pediatric eye care providers show a lack of consensus on prescribing philosophies for hyperopic children.