School screening fails Which? examination

Picture credit: Rex Features

A broken system has resulted in fewer primary care trusts making children's vision screening available to schools, according to latest findings.

Researcher Which? has found that 19 per cent of PCTs did not offer screening this school year, compared with 10 per cent failing to do so two years ago.

Professor David Thomson of City University said the latest findings from Which? provided further evidence that the vision screening programme in the UK was 'broken'. 'In many areas there is no vision screening, in others the quality of the screening is poor. Even in areas where good quality vision screening is taking place, there is often no reliable pathway to ensure that the children who "fail" the screening are properly followed up and receive an appropriate intervention.