RELIABILITY OF VISUAL-ACUITY IN CHILDREN WITH REDUCED VISION

We examined the test-retest reliability of visual acuity in 18 childre n referred to the Hospital Eye Service with reduced vision, Unaided di stance acuities were recorded, using logarithmically scaled letter cha rts, on two occasions separated by an interval of one week during whic h no clinical intervention took-place, Coefficients of repeatability w ere found to be +/-0.25 and +/-0.21 log units in left and right eyes, respectively. A further analysis of 14 subjects' data each of whom had one eye with consistently poorer acuity in both test sessions yielded coefficients of repeatability of +/-0.15 and +/-0.22 log units in, re spectively, the better and poorer eyes, The reliability of visual acui ty recorded in the better eye closely approximates to that previously found in normal adults, whilst that of the poorer eye appears more com parable to that of adult clinical populations. Copyright (C) 1996 The College of Optpmetrists.