[Practising appropriate vision check scheme in eye diseases mass screening works]

Vision check is the first step of mass screening works of most blinding diseases. In recent China, the primary childhood vision check is mainly conducted by hygiene teachers in educational institutions, following the Chinese traditional poor vision classification system, which is based on uncorrected distance visual acuity. However, this classification system does not meet childhood vision developmental mechanism, and may lead to massive unnecessary repetitive screening, diagnosis and treatment of corrected ametropia. In some Chinese communities and villages, the vision check is still based on uncorrected distance visual acuity during eye diseases mass screening procedures in adults. The critical point of preschool children vision impairment screening is then suggested to follow novel Chinese amblyopia diagnostic criteria. Combination of uncorrected, presenting and corrected visual acuity indexes may be used for children' vision check. Collaboration of children health care workers, pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists in children eye diseases screening projects should be realized as soon as possible. In the adult population, presenting vision is suggested to be used in vision impairment screening works, and appropriate vision check scheme should be adopted in specific eye diseases screening works.