title: Vision screening in children entering school: Eskisehir, Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report vision screening results among school children in Eskisehir, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vision screening was performed in 7- to 8-year-old school children in November and December 2011. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) assessment, cover test, and autorefractometer measurement under cycloplegia were performed. Spherical equivalent ≤-0.50 diopters (D) was considered to be myopic, while spherical equivalent >0.75 D was considered to be hypermetropic. Astigmatism was defined as a cylinder power ≥0.75 D. Regression analysis was used to determine the likelihood of having BCVA ≤0.8 Snellen (versus having BCVA >0.8 Snellen) in the presence of independent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 709 children were included. The prevalence rates of myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism were 22.6%, 10.6%, and 11.0%, respectively. Overall, 145 children (20.4%) needed spectacles, but only 65 of these were wearing them. The prevalence of children who required spectacles for myopia ≤-3.00 D and spectacles for hypermetropia ≥3.00 D were 0.8% and 1.0%, respectively. The prevalence of BCVA ≤ 0.8 Snellen was 56/709 (7.9%). In 39/709 (5.5%) of children, amblyopia was present; strabismus (14/56), isometropia (14/56), and anisometropia (11/56) were the etiologies. Strabismus was diagnosed in 18 children (2.5%). Anisometropia, strabismus, hypermetropia, and astigmatism were associated with BCVA ≤ 0.8 Snellen (odds ratio, OR, 6.32, 39.18, 5.47, 5.17, respectively; p = 0.0001 for all ORs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myopia and amblyopia rates in Eskisehir were high among school children. The need for a national large-scale vision screening program for children that includes diverse regions of Turkey is apparent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, Eskisehir, Turkey. hhgursoy@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gursoy
authors.forename: Hikmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Basmak
authors.forename: Yetkin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yaz
authors.forename: Ertugrul
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colak
mesh_terms: D000550:Amblyopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001251:Astigmatism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D012574:Schools; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D015351:Vision Screening; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology