Effects of a Randomized Intervention School-Based Vision Program on the Academic Performance of Students in Grades 3-7

Published online in JAMA Ophthalmol September 9, 2021. doi: 10.1001 / jamaophthalmol.2021.3544

Commentary

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a school-based vision program on the academic performance of students in grades 3 through 7 because uncorrected refractive error can affect learning in school-aged children.

This cluster-randomized clinical trial was conducted in Baltimore City Public Schools among 2304 students in grades 3-7 who received eye exams and glasses during the 2016-2019 school year.

As a result, of the 2304 students included in the study, 1260 (54.7%) were girls, with a mean (SD) age of 9.4 (1.4) years. Included in the analysis were 964 students in Cohort 1 (41 schools), 775 students in Cohort 2 (41 schools), 565 students in Cohort 3 (38 schools). 

As assessed by the i-Ready reading test for the 2016-2017 school year, we found that there was an overall 1-year positive impact (ES, .09, P = .02). Positive impacts were also observed for female students (ES, 0.15; P <.001), special education students (ES, 0.25; P <.001), and students who performed in the lowest quartile at baseline (ES, 0.28; P

However, this intervention did not show a lasting impact two years later or on the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Test Readiness.