Laura Goldfarb Cyrino, Paulo Vigga, Matheus Enrico Dias Vaz Monteiro, Fernanda Nicolela Susanna, Pedro Gabriel Salomão Libânio, Ana Carolina Sarmento Carneiro, Roberta Melissa Benetti Zagui
The remote training program improved the preparedness of education professionals to conduct visual screening in young children and may enhance their ability to identify children requiring referral for further ophthalmologic evaluation. This approach may be adapted for broader implementation within eye health promotion initiatives. Study limitations include the absence of a control group, lack of long-term follow-up, use of a single-center convenience sample, and the absence of comparisons with alternative teaching methods.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a remote training program designed to improve the ability of education professionals to conduct visual screening in children aged 2-5 years.
METHODS: This prospective longitudinal interventional study included 42 early childhood education professionals from a daycare center in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants completed a remote training program consisting of video-based lessons on eye health and visual screening techniques. Pre- and post-training assessments were conducted to evaluate changes in participants' knowledge, confidence, and practical skills related to visual screening. Statistical analyses were performed using the McNemar-Bowker and Wilcoxon tests.
RESULTS: Post-training assessments demonstrated statistically significant improvements in participants' knowledge, confidence, and ability to perform and explain visual screening procedures, including the use of the LEA Symbols chart and recognition of conditions such as amblyopia (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: The remote training program improved the preparedness of education professionals to conduct visual screening in young children and may enhance their ability to identify children requiring referral for further ophthalmologic evaluation. This approach may be adapted for broader implementation within eye health promotion initiatives. Study limitations include the absence of a control group, lack of long-term follow-up, use of a single-center convenience sample, and the absence of comparisons with alternative teaching methods.