A study by researchers in New Zealand and Ireland has found astigmatism and abnormal motor abilities such as inaccurate tracing and grasping at two years of age may be associated with poorer vision at 4.5 years of age.
The study was led by Professor Nicola Anstice, Flinders University Caring Futures Institute, and Dr Nabin Paudel, Centre for Eye Research Ireland, on behalf of the University of Auckland’s ‘Children with hypoglycaemia and their later development’ (CHYLD) study team. The results suggest young children with lower motor skills test scores may benefit from closer monitoring of their visual function when starting school, particularly if they have significant motor deficits, reported the study team.
Using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (third edition) to generate scores for cognitive, language and motor development for 404 two-year-olds, the authors concluded vision screening using a measure of refractive error may be more useful than binocular visual acuity (VA) in detecting those at risk of poor VA and stereoacuity at 4.5 years old. Dr Paudel, however, noted that, “The BSID-III test was implemented by a study psychologist or a research nurse who was specifically trained for the study. It would be tricky to implement this as a screening tool as it is time consuming and requires specific training.”
Photoscreening using automated instruments may offer good sensitivity and specificity for amblyopia detection in children as young as two years, said researchers, but further evaluation is needed and there is currently insufficient evidence to support vision screening in children younger than three years old.
