Evaluation of the GoCheck Kids Mobile Vision Screening Application and the Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener

The United States Preventive Services Task Force has recommended early screening in children in order to detect vision abnormalities that could result in amblyopia, a condition in which there is abnormal brain development when there is suboptimal vision in one or both eyes. Prior to the introduction of vision screening instruments, physicians would wait to screen children at age 3-4, when they are able to read letter or symbol charts. The introduction of vision screening instruments has provided a screening option for children as young as 6 months.

Photoscreening devices evaluate for amblyopia risk factors, including refractive error (need for glasses), or strabismus (eye misalignment). Since the advent of instrumental vision screening, improvements are continually being made to improve the quality and scope of vision screening devices. As more affordable and convenient instruments are developed to supplement the traditional letter charts used to screen children, there is a need for more prospective trials to test the efficacy of these instruments. Our study is designed to evaluate the latest model of GoCheck Kids iPhone vision screener with the widely-used Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. The GoCheck Kids smartphone application is paid for on a monthly basis and includes telephone rental rather than requiring that a device be purchased. This lower upfront cost option will allow for more primary care practices to participate with a decreased upfront financial burden.

Children ages 1 year to less than 7 years referred to a Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale Medicine pediatric ophthalmology practice for a failed vision screen will be prospectively recruited for participation at the time of their already scheduled appointment for a complete eye exam. Following informed consent, each participant will be screened using both the GoCheck Kids smartphone application and the Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. Screening for each of these devices involves a process akin to having a photograph taken. Obtaining consent and photo screenings will take less than 5 minutes. The complete eye exam, which will be performed in this referral group regardless of study participation, will include evaluation of the front and back of the eye, eye alignment, and determination of the refractive state by retinoscopy (check if glasses are needed by using a special type of light and handheld lenses). The ability of each screening device to detect amblyopia risk factors when they are present (sensitivity) will be determined by comparison with the detection of amblyopia risk factors during the complete eye exam, which is considered the gold standard.