Child screening recommendation

Recommendations have been made for managing the backlog of children who have missed out on vision screening because of Covid-19.

The Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC) said the pandemic had meant services had been delayed, postponed or cancelled for children who started school in 2019.

It added that this meant children aged four to five with sight impairment had not been identified and had missed timely intervention.

In order to manage the backlog, the CCEHC has created a template that advised parents to arrange an NHS sight test at a local optometrist if their child had not been screened at school.

It also said that the relevant bodies involved in child vision screening should liaise to implement its recommendations and ensure children are identified, tested and appropriately managed until routine services are restored.