§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what programmes have been initiated by his Department to(a) promote early detection of specific ophthalmic conditions in children and (b) monitor their visual development; and what evaluation has been carriedout as to the benefits of such programmes; [88894]
(2) what estimate he has made of the percentage of children between infancy and primary school age who have undetected vision problems; [88895]
485W(3) whether it is his Department's policy that identification of visual defects between infancy and primary school age should rely on (a) parental concern and (b) professional awareness; [88897]
(4) what recent representations he has received on the issue of children's vision screening; [88898]
(5) if he will make a statement on how and when he plans to implement universal vision screening for children aged between four and five in England; [88899]
(6) what assessment he has made of the likely impact of ceasing screening for vision problems in children between infancy and primary school age. [88896]
§ Jacqui SmithMany cases of visual defect are detected by parents or family members, others by health professionals in the course of a physical examination. We value and support both approaches. The personal child health record and the "Birth to Five" manual of child health, given to parents around the time of birth, promote the former approach. Programmes of health and development screening checks undertaken by local primary health care teams promote the latter. The purpose of the screening programme is to maximise every child's opportunity to realise their full potential for health, well being and development, and to ensure that remediable disorders are identified and acted upon as early as possible. Local programmes are a matter for primary care trusts to determine and monitor, in accordance with professional advice. This will include the content of and optimal timing for vision screening checks undertaken in childhood and the relative benefits of eye checks between infancy and primary school. I have not received recent representations on this subject but expect there to be active debate during preparation of the national service framework for children, which will set standards aimed at raising the quality of the health and social care services that children receive.