The Well-Child Vision Screening Protocol builds upon the 2025 Vision Screening Protocol© by providing pediatric primary care professionals with a streamlined screening process designed specifically for well-child visits. 

The goal is to help pediatric professionals identify visual behaviors that may be associated with CVI or another brain-based visual impairment.

Why This Matters

Cerebral or cortical visual impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of pediatric visual impairment in developed countries, according to a 2024 Pediatrics Clinical Report.

CVI may not be identified through routine office-based or instrument-based vision screening because the child's eyes may appear healthy while visual difficulties arise from how the brain processes visual information. Functional vision challenges and early visual behaviors associated with CVI may therefore be overlooked, especially during busy well-child visits.

Early identification is critical. Timely referral can help families access appropriate evaluation, education, and support during critical years of development.

The Visual Behaviors Questionnaire© makes this process practical and consistent. In less than two minutes, it combines caregiver insights with straightforward scoring to guide next steps at well-child visits. It can be used at every visit or anytime a caregiver raises developmental concerns.

Clinical Endorsement

Early signs of low vision or visual impairment in young children can be easy to miss—especially during a busy well-child visit. A Shared Vision’s updated Vision Screening Protocol offers a simple, developmentally appropriate way to supplement your current screening practices.

The Visual Behaviors Questionnaire© is especially valuable. It highlights visual behaviors parents may not think to mention but that warrant a closer look or a timely referral. This tool was built with input from pediatric ophthalmologists, including myself, and it’s designed to work in real-world settings without adding unnecessary burden.

I strongly encourage pediatric providers to participate in the well-child screening pilot. Your involvement helps ensure children with visual impairments are identified and supported as early as possible—when early action makes the greatest impact."

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

Visual Behaviors Questionnaire©

The Visual Behaviors Questionnaire© is part of the overall Vision Screening Protocol© for children birth to age three. 

How it works:
In addition to reviewing the child’s eyes and eyelids and completing an objective vision screening (fixation, tracking, pupillary reflex, and corneal light reflection), providers ask caregivers to complete a 17-question caregiver survey on their child's visual behaviors.

Key features:

• Available as a 1-page paper form, tablet-based survey, or simple HIPAA-compliant online version (works on a phone).
• Quick to complete: typically takes less than 2 minutes.
• Straightforward to score at the point of intake.
• Complements Bright Futures developmental surveillance and aligns with AAP vision screening guidance.
• Not diagnostic: identifies patterns of visual behaviors that may warrant referral or further evaluation.

Why it matters:

• Captures caregiver insights that are not always visible in a brief clinical exam.
• Helps identify visual behaviors that may warrant further evaluation for ocular or brain-based causes of visual impairment.
  
• Promotes earlier referral for comprehensive evaluation and intervention services.
• Encourages collaboration between caregivers, pediatric providers, and specialists.

Visual Behaviors Questionnaire©

2-Minute Overview

This short video explains how the screening works in real-world practice, how to score it, and how to use the results to guide referrals.

Get Involved in the Pilot

We’re inviting pediatric professionals to join the well-child vision screening pilot. Participation gives you the chance to:

• Use an evidence-informed tool designed for busy well-child visits
  
• Contribute feedback that will help shape future implementation
• Help improve earlier identification and support for children with visual impairments.

Ready to learn more?

Schedule a call with us to explore how the Visual Behaviors Questionnaire© can fit into your practice. We’ll review options for using the tool (PDF or cloud-based), provide training and support, share family-friendly materials, and answer any questions about implementation.

Use this link to pick a time that's most convenient for you!