Many parents rely on school vision tests to detect problems in their children’s eyes. But long lines and confusion can lead to missed diagnoses and be a waste of valuable time. Now a new technology can help refer children who need medication attention to your office sooner – or help you in identifying problems more quickly when you perform your own office exams.

Researchers at the Shiley Eye Center in San Diego, Calif., have developed a digital computerized vision screening system that takes images of children’s eyes and analyzes the images within 35 seconds on newly created software. When 206 children between the ages of 9 months and 16 years underwent this process, there was 90% agreement between the results of their computerized exams and results of exams performed on them by a physician.

The lead researcher, David B. Granet, M.D., says that this new technology can be used easily in schools as well as in your office.

"By putting an automated, objective system in the hands of pediatricians and schools," he says, " we can more easily detect vision-threatening disorders. This is important because studies indicate that the younger the child is when a problem is identified, the better the therapeutic response."

Pediatricians currently evaluate fewer than 40% of children younger than 4.

The Eyedx digital computerized vision equipment is manufactured by Eyedx of San Diego, Calif. The company can be reached at (858) 546-4717.