Vision screening programmes for school-aged children in select high-income countries: a scoping review protocol
- 1School of Optometry and Vision Science, Waipapa Taumata Rau, Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- 2Health Systems, School of Population Health, Waipapa Taumata Rau, Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract
Objective: The proposed scoping review aims to summarise current vision screening programmes in school-aged children from selected high-income nations, incorporating both peer-reviewed and grey literature for an accurate depiction of current practices.
Introduction: Paediatric visual impairment is largely caused by uncorrected refractive error (UER). While preschool screening programmes focus on amblyopia detection, school-aged children face a higher and rising burden of refractive error in the crucial period of literacy skill development, which adversely impacts their education. A scoping review into the current state of care can be used to inform local implementation research.
Methods and inclusion criteria: From January 2026 to October 2026, we will search peer-reviewed literature databases (Embase, Medline, EBM Reviews—Health Technology Assessment, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cumulated Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Research Complete and Health Business Elite) and grey literature sources for literature published after 1 Jan 1995, without any language restrictions. Included literature will regard vision screening programmes for school-aged children in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states and other select high-income nations. Included literature will refer to programmes that operate on a minimum state/provincial level and may be implemented by any type of organisation. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts of peer-reviewed literature and a single reviewer will search for relevant grey literature, that will then be confirmed by another reviewer. Data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers. The review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline.
Ethics and dissemination: This review will only include published data, thus no ethical approval will be sought. The findings of this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences.
Article summary: This scoping review will map national or regional-level vision screening programmes for school-aged children in high-income countries, drawing on peer-reviewed and grey literature from 1995 onward. Because UER is a major and growing cause of visual impairment during crucial learning years, understanding current international screening practices from fellow high-income nations with similar health system capacity can support local implementation planning. The review will follow Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidance.
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BibTeX
@article{rathod2026vision,
title = {{Vision screening programmes for school-aged children in select high-income countries: a scoping review protocol}},
author = {Sachi Rathod and Rebecca Findlay and Joanna Black and Richard Edlin and Pushkar Raj Silwal},
journal = {BMJ Open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2026-120924},
url = {https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-120924},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Vision screening programmes for school-aged children in select high-income countries: a scoping review protocol
AU - Sachi Rathod
AU - Rebecca Findlay
AU - Joanna Black
AU - Richard Edlin
AU - Pushkar Raj Silwal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - BMJ Open
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-120924
UR - https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-120924
AB - Objective: The proposed scoping review aims to summarise current vision screening programmes in school-aged children from selected high-income nations, incorporating both peer-reviewed and grey literature for an accurate depiction of current practices. Introduction: Paediatric visual impairment is largely caused by uncorrected refractive error (UER). While preschool screening programmes focus on amblyopia detection, school-aged children face a higher and rising burden of refractive error in the crucial period of literacy skill development, which adversely impacts their education. A scoping review into the current state of care can be used to inform local implementation research. Methods and inclusion criteria: From January 2026 to October 2026, we will search peer-reviewed literature databases (Embase, Medline, EBM Reviews—Health Technology Assessment, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cumulated Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Research Complete and Health Business Elite) and grey literature sources for literature published after 1 Jan 1995, without any language restrictions. Included literature will regard vision screening programmes for school-aged children in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states and other select high-income nations. Included literature will refer to programmes that operate on a minimum state/provincial level and may be implemented by any type of organisation. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts of peer-reviewed literature and a single reviewer will search for relevant grey literature, that will then be confirmed by another reviewer. Data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers. The review will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Ethics and dissemination: This review will only include published data, thus no ethical approval will be sought. The findings of this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant conferences. Article summary: This scoping review will map national or regional-level vision screening programmes for school-aged children in high-income countries, drawing on peer-reviewed and grey literature from 1995 onward. Because UER is a major and growing cause of visual impairment during crucial learning years, understanding current international screening practices from fellow high-income nations with similar health system capacity can support local implementation planning. The review will follow Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidance.
SN - 2044-6055
SN - 2044-6055
ER -