At what age or developmental level can preschool children be screened?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that distance vision screening begin by age 3.1 However, child development experts point out that the exact age that an individual child can participate with a vision screening test is difficult to pinpoint because of developmental differences in such areas as: • Visual perception — the ability to interpret visible light information reaching the eyes, which is then made available for planning and action (eyesight) • Discrimination — the cognitive process of distinguishing between two stimuli (understanding the concepts of same and different) • Representational thinking — the presentation to the mind of an idea or image (understanding that one object symbolizes another; abstract representation) • Directionality — the ability to differentiate which way symbols are facing Some tests require more cognitive effort and ability. For example, if a chart relies on abstract representation and a child has not reached this developmental milestone
