Relationship between Geography and Refractive Error from the UCLA Preschool Vision Program

Purpose Using the screening data collected through the University of California, Los Angeles Preschool Vision Program (UPVP) that provides free vision screening to children 2.5 to 6 years of age attending public preschools in five Supervisory Districts in Los Angeles County, this paper explores whether geographic location of where children attended preschool affects the vision screening results. Methods 62,936 children were screened using a handheld device (Nikon Retinomax) between academic years 2012 and 2015. The criteria for failing the screening was set to sphere of <= -3.25 diopters (D), sphere >= +1.75 D, or cylinder of >= 1.50 D in either eye, or inter-ocular difference of >2.00 D in spherical error (>1.50D in case of antimetropia) or >= 1.00 D in cylinder error. Results Higher fail rates were found among girls, Latino race, and those who primarily spoke Spanish at home. In addition, there was a geographical variance in screening outcomes among Supervisory Districts with District 1 having the highest fail rate and District 4 having the lowest fail rate. Conclusion This paper provides preliminary evidence of geographic factors contributing to the development of refractive errors among preschoolers which may be used in future studies to address the unmet needs of children with vision impairments in Los Angeles County.