The Dr. Holhoș Network is running a free ophthalmological screening campaign for preschool children in Alba, Cluj and Sibiu counties from September to December 2022. The first of these counties will be Alba, where there is already a long list of pre-schools that have confirmed their participation and will receive a visit from the Dr. Holhoș team.
The purpose of the campaign is the early detection of possible refractive errors, the prevention of amblyopia (“lazy eye”) and the development of visual deficiencies with repercussions at school age.
In children, the first ophthalmological examination is recommended from the 6th month of life, and the following ones at the ages of 3 years and 5-6 years (before starting school).
The campaign is aimed at all children in pre-school education and will take place in kindergartens in the county, by sending our team, specially trained in working with children, to the locations where the campaign is to be carried out.
Screening is performed with the Plusoptix device, the latest technology for visual screening of young and very young children.
The advantages of the Plusoptix device are:
- The investigation is completely non-invasive, performed from a distance of 1 m
- The young age at which refractive errors with amblyogenic potential can be detected
- Performing a complex ophthalmological examination: visual acuity test + measurement of ocular refraction using computerized autorefractometer
- Reduced examination time (a few milliseconds)
- Simultaneous (Binocular) examination of refraction of both eyes from a distance of approximately 1 m
- Provides accurate values of: diopter values for both eyes, corneal reflex, pupil diameter, vitreous disorders
- Fast, accurate, non-invasive measurement that is an important starting point if fundus or other additional examinations are required
We are involved in the community and with patients, and screening campaigns like these help us in the early detection of possible disorders. In the last two years, due to the pandemic, we have had to discontinue and drastically reduce these initiatives, and the negative results can be seen in the high number of myopia and amblyopia cases diagnosed among school children in recent months.
We are very pleased with the broad and positive response we have received from the educational establishments, it shows the high level of involvement of the head teachers and administrative staff.
The campaign run by the Dr. Holhoș network is the largest ophthalmological screening campaign run by a private entity in Romania, covering 3 counties, and we estimate a participation of several dozen establishments in this campaign.