VERA Vision Screening

“I am more than happy to help spread the good news of this excellent tool in any way that I can. I couldn't/wouldn't function in my role of vision screener now without VERA. It is easy to use and accurately guides care givers and educators in follow-up of students." - D.S. Modesto, CA

VERA is standardized, foolproof and requires no clinical testing skills to learn. The routine screening contains tests for visual acuity, hyperopia (+ lens) and basic binocular vision. Tests are preceded by instruction screens, are clinically prioritized, and prompts will alert you if running a test may give unreliable results. Here are a few examples of how easy it is to do the screening and reporting.

To test visual acuity, have the student identify the direction in which the “E” over the arrow is pointing. Input “ENTER” if correct and “0" if incorrect. The program will control the size and sequence of the lines presented and will record and score the results. You’ll test right eye, left eye and both eyes in this manner. Since test characters can’t be memorized or easily interpreted by squinting and the screening logic is controlled, you’re likely to be surprised by the additional visual acuity deficits you’ll detect.

To test stereopsis, have the student identify the numbers 1, 2, 3 or 4 which are presented as random-dot stereograms. The numbers are only visible through the testing glasses when the student is using both eyes together. The proctor inputs the number reported or “0" if no number is seen. All of the VERA tests, including the special assessment vision skills screening, are this straightforward.

VERA gives you control over the screening and better use of your time: You can select which screening tests to run, choose the visual acuity "fail point" which best accommodates your screening regulations and choose which report(s) prints after each screening. Activating SmartScreen® will automatically stop the screening at the first valid point of referral and prepare your selected report(s).

Your personalized Eye Doctor’s Report and/or Parent’s Letter can automatically be prepared after each screening or “batch print” your reports and/or letters all at once after screening is done (this is very handy when using a laptop!). You’ll spend virtually no time transcribing results for parents and eye doctors or replacing lost eye doctor’s reports. You’ll also have Second Notice letters to parents, a generic Screening Results report for your special educators or pupil review team, a Student List report for teachers and a Vision Skills report should you perform this screening. To see what these look like, just click on the report name.

Have more control over referrals being fulfilled: There's just no time to be lost when a student's poor vision remains uncorrected and is likely to affect their learning. The estimated number of children who do not receive care from an eye care professional after a failed screening varies significantly - from 40 to nearly 70 percent (Vision Council of America). That’s why follow-up is so important, and it takes only minutes with VERA.

Enjoy greater involvement with your student’s education: Periodically provide teachers with grade-specific lists of students with unfulfilled vision referrals, easily and automatically. Teachers can then encourage compliance with your referral while better accommodating those students in the classroom. And guidance counselors, occupational therapists and school administrators will be interested in this information when students are considered for special services.

VERA offers the opportunity to identify vision skills-related learning problems without involving a vision professional. The vision skills screening contains tests for eye tracking, focusing and eye teaming. The vision skills screening can help your special educators to delay or eliminate other special student assessments and possibly save expensive special education costs for many students. You can provide included protocols for teachers to assist visually deficient students and even reach out to vision specialists in the community to serve as referral options for treatment. For additional information about vision skills, see our “Educator” section. For information about practitioners providing appropriate treatment, please consult www.covd.org and www.aoa.org.

To follow up on unfulfilled vision referrals, periodically log all returned eye doctor’s reports by entering the “Return Confirmation” number (1) on the eye doctor’s report into the letter LETTER RETURN “Check-in Confirmation” screen (2).

When you’re ready to send follow-up notices, select the “Student List” tab (3) of REPORTS. Select your date and/or grade range, check the “Letters Not Returned” box, choose “Doctor’s Letter” and print. To prepare accompanying second notice letters to parents, just select “Second Notice” instead of “Doctor’s Letter”.