…continued

American guidelines recommend that all children between the ages of 3 and 5 years have vision screening to detect the presence of amblyopia or its risk factors.⁴ The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has no recommendations³, however the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends visual examination during routine infant and well-child visits starting from birth. They also recommend that children with known risk factors, and those with abnormalities or reading difficulties be examined by trained eye professionals.^1,5

¹National Eye Institute. https://www.nei.nih.gov/health/amblyopia
²Amit M, Canadian Paediatrics Society. Vision screening in infants, children and youth. Paediatrics and Child Health 2009;14(4):246-8.
³Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. New grades for recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. CMAJ 2003; 169:207-8.
⁴Chou R., Dana T., Bougatsos, C. Screening for Visual Impairment in Children Ages 1 – 5 Years: Systematic Review to Update the 2004 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation. Evidence Synthesis No. 81. AHRQ Publication No. 11-05151-EF-1. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; February 2011.
⁵Mema SC, McIntyre L, Musto R. Childhood vision screening in Canada: Public health evidence and practice. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2012;103(1):40-5.