The Vision Screening Protocol© provides pediatric eye doctors with meaningful context before a child ever enters your exam room. Families may bring results from screenings completed in early intervention, well-child visits, or other community settings. While the results are not diagnostic, they highlight caregiver concerns and developmental observations that support your evaluation.

Why This Matters

Early detection of vision concerns is critical. During the first three years of life, delays in identifying potential issues can limit a child’s development and access to services. The Vision Screening Protocol© helps close this gap by providing families with clear documentation and specific recommendations for timely follow-up, giving you additional information to support your evaluation.

The updated Vision Screening Protocol© from A Shared Vision is a significant step forward in ensuring that all children under the age of three have equitable access to early identification of vision concerns. It is evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate, and user-friendly for the professionals who serve families in early intervention and home-based care.

As a pediatric ophthalmologist, I see firsthand how critical early identification is—and how often delays in screening lead to missed opportunities for support during the most critical years of a child’s development. This protocol helps close that gap. It should be the new standard for vision screening in early childhood.”

— Emily McCourt, MD
Ponzio Family Chair for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology Children’s Hospital Colorado

What Families May Bring to You

Families may arrive with one or both of these documents:

• Parent Questionnaire©: Caregiver-completed survey of family and child history, eye and eyelid appearance, visual behaviors, and caregiver concerns.
• Results & Next Steps Form: Summary of screening results, reason for referral, and urgency level (non-urgent, urgent, very urgent).

How These Tools Support Your Evaluation

You can review caregiver-reported concerns before the exam to:

• Identify patterns that may be associated with ocular conditions or cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI).
• Understand what families have already been told and why follow-up was recommended.
• Add developmental and home-based context to your clinical findings.
  

Video: How the Vision Screening Protocol© Supports Families and Eye Doctors

Families participating in this evidence-informed screening process complete a Parent Questionnaire©. A trained professional conducts the screening and documents the Results & Next Steps. These screenings may occur in early intervention, well-child visits, Head Start, childcare centers, and more. Results are not diagnostic, but they highlight areas of concern and strengthen the referral process.

This 4-minute video explains how the protocol works, what families experience, and how the results may inform your assessment.

Vision Screening Documentation Examples

Caregiver survey captures family and child history, eye and eyelid appearance, visual behaviors, and caregiver concerns.

Concise summary of screening results, reason for referral, and urgency level (non-urgent, urgent, very urgent).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who administers the screening?
Trained professionals in early intervention, pediatric practices, and other organizations serving very young children administer the screening. A pilot is also underway with pediatric professionals to strengthen well-child vision screening, particularly for possible cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI).

Is the protocol for use by pediatric eye doctors?
No. The Vision Screening Protocol© is designed for trained medical and non-medical professionals who screen very young children and identify vision concerns that may warrant follow-up with a pediatric eye doctor. It is not intended to replace a comprehensive eye examination or the clinical judgment of an eye care professional.

How reliable are the results?
The Protocol is evidence-informed and developmentally appropriate. It uses a standardized process to gather caregiver observations, identify vision concerns and risk factors, and guide recommendations for follow-up. While not diagnostic, it reliably highlights visual behaviors that support your evaluation.

What if I disagree with the referral concern?
Your clinical judgment remains central. The screening results are a supplement to your assessment, not a replacement.

May I share feedback with the family’s provider?
Yes. Families are encouraged to share your findings with the professional or team that completed the vision screening and with other members of the child's care team, as appropriate.

Questions?

If you have questions or suggestions about the Vision Screening Protocol© or the documents you receive from families, please contact us at: [email protected]

Advisors

A Shared Vision also extends deep appreciation to the advisors who guided the 2025 updates to the Vision Screening Protocol©:

• Tanni Anthony, PhD – Colorado Department of Education
• Patrick Arnold, MD – Eye Center of Northern Colorado
• Kiley Berry, OD – Southwest Eye Consultants
• Rebecca S. Braverman, MD – CU School of Medicine & Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Kara Hanson, OD – Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center
• Erin Major, OD – Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Emily McCourt, MD – Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Anna Steele, MD – Children’s Eye Physicians

References

The Vision Screening Protocol© aligns with Bright Futures developmental surveillance and AAPOS guidelines. 

A Shared Vision gratefully acknowledges the following sources:

• Colorado Department of Education (2005). Visual Screening Guidelines: Children Birth through Five Years.
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas State Department of Education (2018). Kansas Vision Screening Requirements & Guidelines.
• Teach CVI (2020). Screening List for Children with a Suspicion of Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) / Screen List CVI 1.
• Topor, I. (2004). Approximate Functional Visual Acuity for Different Sizes of Objects and Distances. Chapel Hill, NC: Early Intervention Training Center for Infants and Toddlers with Visual Impairments, FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  
• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2024). Diagnosis and Care of Children With Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment: Clinical Report