Background and purpose: In the Netherlands, children are screened for amblyopia based on the early detection of visual disorders (VOV) protocol by child health care physicians. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the Brückner test variant (BTV) as an alternative method was assessed.
Patients and methods: In this historical prospective analysis, the results of the VOV and BTV methods were compared. Results at the ages of 15 and 27 months of 414 children were compared against diagnosis by the ophthalmologist; follow-up was at 72 months.
Results: Visual disorders were found in 12 of 15 children (14 had an abnormal BTV) who underwent ophthalmological examination. The PPV of the BTV was 86%; 12 of the 14 children with an abnormal BTV had a vision disorder in the preverbal phase.
Conclusion: The BTV is superior to the VOV method in the early detection of vision disorders and could be a cost-effective public health intervention.
Keywords: Brückner test; amblyopia; refraction; vision screening.