Instruments for evaluation of functionality in children with low vision: a literature review

ABSTRACT We conducted a literature review of tools used to evaluate functionality in children with low vision with the aim of analyzing the applicability, advantages, and disadvantages for children <6 years of age, an age at which visual development is mostly complete. Publications in Portuguese, English and, Spanish describing functional evaluation tools for children aged 0-18 years with low vision in the following databases were included: Web of Science, Virtual Health Library, Cochrane, Scielo, and PubMed. A total of 181 articles were collected, 15 of which were included in this review. Thirteen tools were identified, nine of which evaluated overall functionality and quality of life through questionnaires. The other 4 instruments, using a observational test model, evaluated functionality and they were elected. Observational tests chosen for their accuracy and lower selection bias were used to evaluate visual functionality. Of these, the Functional Vision Assessment up to 6 years seems to be promising. In conclusion, we observed a lack of tools for evaluating functionality in children with low vision. This type of evaluation is necessary for planning visual rehabilitation to improve quality of life in children with low vision.

摘要 本研究针对低视力儿童的功能评估工具开展文献综述，旨在分析各类工具对6岁以下儿童的适用性、优势与不足——该年龄段视觉发育基本完成。本综述纳入了在Web of Science、虚拟健康图书馆（Virtual Health Library）、Cochrane图书馆、Scielo及PubMed数据库中，针对0-18岁低视力儿童功能评估工具的葡萄牙语、英语及西班牙语文献。共检索到181篇文献，最终纳入15篇用于本次综述。研究共识别出13类评估工具，其中9类通过问卷形式评估儿童整体功能与生活质量；剩余4种工具采用观察性测试模型开展功能评估，最终被筛选纳入本次综述。鉴于观察性测试具备准确性更高、选择偏倚更低的优势，被用于评估视觉功能，其中针对6岁以下儿童的功能视觉评估量表（Functional Vision Assessment up to 6 years）展现出良好的应用前景。综上，当前仍缺乏适配低视力儿童的功能评估工具，而此类评估对于制定视觉康复方案、改善低视力儿童的生活质量至关重要。