A Survey to Identify Screen Test Usage by Certified Orthoptists Across the United States of America

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To ascertain the use of screen tests for assessing strabismus under binocular viewing conditions by certified orthoptist colleagues around the United States of America.

Methods

A link to an online survey was distributed to all 440 registered members of the American Association of Certified Orthoptists in early 2022. A total of 135 certified orthoptists responded.

Results

Of the 135 respondents, 51% were from a public practice, 36% were private practice and 13% from a mixture of both. A large proportion of respondents did not use binocular screen tests to measure strabismus such as the Lancaster red/green test (85%) or Hess screen test (93%), although one respondent reported using the Harms screen test. Most respondents reported using single or double Maddox rods (75%), synoptophore (44%) and prisms (14%) in their practice to quantify strabismus clinically.

Conclusion

There is limited use of screen tests in private and public practice in the USA. The ergonomic requirements of such tests are prohibitive to their implementation in modern clinical practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Screen test
• strabismus
• survey

Disclosure statement

Alex Christoff is the current President of the American Association of Certified Orthoptists.