Pediatric vision help-seeking: A pathway

Despite recommendations that children undergo routine vision screenings beginning as early as infancy, only a third of children have had an eye exam prior to the age of 6 years. Limited information is available concerning the vision health help-seeking process in youth. A pathway portraying the primary actors and their role in the help-seeking process of young children is proposed. The pathway was modified from that of Zwaanswijk's “model of the help-seeking process and its determinants” (2005). Factors associated with vision help-seeking are unique due to the nature of visual impairment, parental and pediatric interpretation of vision symptoms, and the influence of poor vision on academic involvement and participation in sports. Vision problems are often asymptomatic in early age especially when the child is not engaged in reading and sports, activities dependent on visual ability. The likelihood of children to directly communicate their condition to parents depends on children's predisposing and enabling characteristics, especially age. Problem detection, perceived needs for services, and parental report of child problems are unified in one domain as they are related and influenced by children, parents, and associates. Contact with a medical provider, referral to optometrist/ophthalmologist, and service use/receipt of services are initiated and carried out by parents. Disinterest in activities that require good vision is important in providing clues to others about the presence of visual impairment. Discussion of the help-seeking process in vision is vital when designing interventions that strive to increase recommended eye exams in young children.