Pediatric Amblyopia Risk Investigation Study (PARIS).
OBJECTIVE
To assess the learning curve, testability, and reliability of vision screening modalities administered by pediatric health extenders.


METHODS
Prospective masked clinical trial.


METHODS
Two hundred subjects aged 3 to 6 underwent timed screening for amblyopia by physician extenders, including LEA visual acuity (LEA), stereopsis (RDE), and noncycloplegic autorefraction (NCAR). Patients returned for a comprehensive diagnostic eye examination performed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist.


RESULTS
Average screening time was 5.4 +/- 1.6 minutes (LEA), 1.9 +/- 0.9 minutes (RDE), and 1.7 +/- 1.0 minutes (NCAR). Test time for NCAR and RDE fell by 40% during the study period. Overall testability was 92% (LEA), 96% (RDE), and 94% (NCAR). Testability among 3-year-olds was 73% (LEA), 96% (RDE), and 89% (NCAR). Reliability of LEA was moderate (r = .59). Reliability of NCAR was high for astigmatism (Cyl) (r = .89), moderate for spherical equivalent (SE) (r = .66), and low for anisometropia (ANISO) (r = .38). Correlation of cycloplegic autorefraction (CAR) with gold standard cycloplegic retinoscopic refraction (CRR) was very high for SE (.85), CYL (.77), and moderate for ANISO (.48).


CONCLUSIONS
With NCAR, physician extenders can quickly and reliably detect astigmatism and spherical refractive error in one-third the time it takes to obtain visual acuity. LEA has a lower initial cost, but is time consuming, moderately reliable, and more difficult for 3-year-olds. Shorter examination time and higher reliability may make NCAR a more efficient screening tool for refractive amblyopia in younger children. Future study is needed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of NCAR and other screening methods in detecting amblyopia and amblyopia risk factors.
Savage
Howard I
HI
Department of Ophthalmology, George Washington University, 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20037, USA. Howard.savage@gmail.com
Lee
Hester H
HH
Zaetta
Deneen
D
Olszowy
Ronald
R
Hamburger
Ellie
E
Weissman
Mark
M
Frick
Kevin
K
D000550:Amblyopia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003867:Depth Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009885:Ophthalmology; D009907:Optometry; D010823:Physician Assistants; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D015351:Vision Screening / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity