The significance of minor defects of visual acuity in school children: implications for screening and treatment.

Information collected on the children of the 1970 Birth Cohort Study has been used to examine the educational performance of children who have minor defects of visual acuity. Results suggest that children with mild degrees of hypermetropia may experience difficulty learning to read but with exclusion of this group significant educational disability was not associated with minor visual defects. The significance of this finding is discussed in conjunction with information on prevalence of defects and current practice in screening and treating visual defects in school children. Some anomalies in current practice are identified.