Clinical usefulness of the baby vision test in young children and its correlation with the Snellen chart.

AIM

To investigate the efficacy of a new visual acuity (VA) screening method, the baby vision test for young children.

METHODS

A total 105 eyes of 65 children aged 2-8y were included in the study. Acuity testing was conducted using a standardized recognition acuity chart (Snellen visual chart: at 3 m) and the baby vision model assessment. The baby vision device includes a screen, a near infrared camera and a computer. Children were seated at a measured distance of 33-40 cm from a display for testing. VA was estimated according to the highest resolution the children could follow. Decimal VA data were converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) for statistical analysis. The VA results for each child were recorded and analyzed for consistency.

RESULTS

The mean VA measured using the Snellen visual chart was 0.62±0.32, and that assessed using the baby vision test was 0.66±0.27. The 95% limit of agreement was -0.609 to 0.695, with 95.2% (100/105) plots within the 95% limits of agreement. VA values of the baby vision test were significantly correlated with those of the Snellen chart (=0.274, =0.005).

CONCLUSION

The baby vision test can be used as a relatively reliable method for estimating VA in young children. This new acuity assessment might be a valid predictor of optotype-measured acuity later in preverbal children.