Thokozile Ingrid Metsing
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Title: Comparison of the Snellen acuity chart with the spectrum eye care software LogMAR chart amongst children of school going age
Biography
Biography: Thokozile Ingrid Metsing
Abstract
Most vision screening protocols worldwide rely on the measurement of visual acuities (VAs) to detect visual anomalies
amongst children of school-going age. This is despite the fundamental design flaws in the Snellen chart. However, there
appears to be a growing demand for the usage of modern technology in the eyecare profession. The aim of this prospective
and quantitative study was to evaluate the equivalence of a standard Snellen chart compared to the Spectrum Eyecare Software
LogMAR chart in evaluating VAs amongst children of school going age. Normative data was collected from three randomly
selected schools in Johannesburg (South Africa) on the non-clinical population of 209 children of school-going age mean
10.13±2.45 years. Monocular and binocular VAs was measured using the Snellen chart at six meters and the spectrum computer
software program at three meters. The statistical significant differences (p<0.05) were determined using ANOVA for distance
binocular and monocular VAs using the Snellen chart and the Spectrum Eyecare Software. The performance of the Spectrum
Software LogMAR was found to be one line better than that of the Snellen chart. However, the Snellen chart still remains the
simple, easily accessible and inexpensive method to be used for vision screening amongst children of school-going age compared
to the Spectrum Eyecare Software.