National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health- establishing a coordinated, comprehensive approach to children's vision screening in the U.S

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of preschool age children have vision problems, with between 1 and 4 percent of these having amblyopia, and an estimated 5 to 7 percent having refractive errors. While it is understood that early identification and treatment of health problems typically reduce complications and lead to improved health outcomes there is no consistent protocol nationally for training, tracking, or even conducting vision screenings in the primary care or childcare environments. Prevent Blindness America, with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau established the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) to address these issues surrounding children's vision screening.

NCCVEH focuses on three areas: (1) To provide leadership in the development of best practices and guidelines for a public health infrastructure, and strategies that ensure a continuum of vision care for children; (2) To determine mechanisms for advancing state-based performance improvement systems, screening guidelines, and uniform data collection and reporting; (3) To work in collaboration with state pilot programs to implement state-based best practices.

This session will outline the NCCVEH's recommendations to enhance the system of vision care for children including approaches to data collection and surveillance.