FOUR VISION SCREENING METHODS WERE STUDIED DURING THE 1966-67 SCHOOL YEAR IN FOUR SELECTED SCHOOLS WITHIN A FOUR COUNTY AREA IN IOWA. SCREENING METHODS STUDIED WERE (1) SNELLEN CHART FOR DISTANCE VISION, (2) SNELLEN CHART FOR DISTANCE PLUS THE READING CARD-SNELLEN RATING FOR NEAR-POINT TESTING, (3) KEYSTONE VISUAL SURVEY TESTS, AND (4) T/O SCHOOL VISION TESTER. A TOTAL OF 4,227 STUDENTS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12 WERE SCREENED IN THE FALL OF 1966. PERCENTAGES REFERRED BY EACH OF THE METHODS RESPECTIVELY WERE 7.2 PERCENT, 6.7 PERCENT, 8.5 PERCENT, AND 11.2 PERCENT. A SERIES OF TABLES INDICATES NUMBERS OF REFERRALS BY GRADE LEVELS. OF THE REFERRALS WHO WERE SEEN BY EYE SPECIALISTS THE OVER-REFERRALS (FALSE POSITIVE) RESPECITVELY WERE 4 PERCENT, 6.7 PERCENT, 3.8 PERCENT, AND 2.2 PERCENT. AMONG THE CONCLUSIONS WERE THE FOLLOWING--(1) NO METHOD IS CLEARLY SUPERIOR TO THE OTHERS, (2) EACH METHOD APPEARS CONSERVATIVE IN DISCLOSING NUMBERS IN NEED OF EYE CARE, (3) THE MAJORITY OF REFERRALS WERE BETWEEN THRID GRADE AND NINTH GRADE, (4) HIGH PERCENTAGES OF REFERRALS RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION INDICATIVE OF A GOOD FOLLOWUP PROGRAMS, (5) THE SNELLEN CHART, A PART OF EVERY SCREENING METHOD USED, REFERRED A MAJORITY OF STUDENTS RECEIVING REFERRALS. WHILE CORRECT REFERRALS RANGED FROM 93.3 PERCENT TO 97.8 PERCENT, THERE WERE POSSIBLY CHILDREN WHO PASSED THE SCREENING TEST BUT WHO MAY HAVE NEEDED PROFESSIONAL ATTENTION. A BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTAINS 65 ITEMS. (DF)