Pediatric Eye Care Treatment Rates in Underserved School District San Diego
Rohn, Matthew C. H.; O'Sullivan, Flynn; Brown, Stuart I.; Hernandez, Eric; Borooah, Shyamanga; Molina, Iliana
Why this matters
Vision programs are judged on whether children actually get and then wear the glasses. Of 12,176 San Diego children screened between 2011 and 2017, 60 percent of those referred completed an eye exam, and among children whose compliance was recorded, 83.6 percent were wearing their prescribed spectacles.
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE: The need for early identification and treatment of young children's refractive error needs has become a public health concern. The UCSD Eyemobile for Children (EyeMobile) provides vision screenings and comprehensive eye exams on the Eyemobile among a population of underserved, predominantly Hispanic preschool and elementary school children. The program also provides spectacles for children who fail eye exams due to refractive error. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all children screened from 2011 to 2017 by the Eyemobile across 10 San Diego elementary schools. RESULTS: A total of 12,176 elementary school children were screened between 2011 and 2017. Of these children, 5269 (43.3%) were referred for a comprehensive eye examination. Across six years, 3163 (60.0%) of the children referred completed their eye examinations. There was a significant increase (p < 0.001) in exam completion in the successive years. A total of 1089 (8.9% of screened) children were prescribed spectacles. Of the 409 children that were recorded with the compliance method, 342 (83.6%) were found to be fully compliant and wearing their spectacles as prescribed. CONCLUSION: The Eyemobile program demonstrated high levels of compliance for both eye examination completion and prescribed spectacle wear in underserved populations in the San Diego region, compared to similar national programs.