171210 Measurement of impact of uncorrected hyperopia and/or astigmatism on low-income preschoolers' cognitive abilities in the context of a community outreach program

Monday, October 27, 2008: 12:30 PM

Anne-Catherine Roch-Levecq, PhD , Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Barbara L. Brody, MPH , Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Ronald G. Thomas, PhD , Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Stuart I. Brown, MD , Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Objective. As part of a community outreach program aimed at detecting vision problems in low-income preschoolers, we assessed the effect of spectacle correction on cognitive outcomes of a sample of children with hyperopia and/or astigmatism.

Methods: Participants: 66 preschoolers (mean age=4.6 years; female=58%; Latino=87%), sequentially recruited from the UCSD Eyemobile, 44 children with previously uncorrected ametropia (A) and 22 group-matched emmetropic controls (E). Ametropia was determined by cycloplegic retinoscopy as bilateral hyperopia ≥4D, astigmatism ≥2D, or a combination of both, and emmetropia as ≤2D and ≥ -1D cylinder diopter in both eyes.

Procedure: 22 subjects with A randomly assigned to receive correction after 6-month reassessment (A2) were individually matched to 22 subjects with A randomly assigned to receive correction earlier after baseline assessment (A1), and compared to E.

Design: Comparisons of change scores from baseline to 6-week and 6-month reassessments between A1, A2 and E.

Measures: Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R). Compliance was monitored.

Statistical analysis: In the absence of covariates, repeated measures ANOVAs were performed.

Preliminary results. At 6-week reassessment, A2 remained at baseline levels on both measures, p≥.94, compared to A1 which improved more than E on VMI, p=.01. At 6 months, A2 did not significantly improved more than E, p=.94, and .44, compared to A1, p=.04, and .03, on VMI and WPPSI-R, respectively.

Conclusions. Early correction was beneficial on cognitive outcomes. This has implications for public health policy towards the implementation of early vision screening.

Learning Objectives:
Assess the impact of uncorrected refractive errors on preschoolers’ cognitive development to develop a public health policy toward early vision screening.

Keywords: Vision Care, Children

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am conducting the study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Vision and Its Impact on Learning including School Vision Screening, Vision As A Part Of Wellness Goals And Alternative Methods Of Delivering Vision Care To Children at Schools
See more of: Vision Care Section