Validity of the VERA visual skills screening

PurposeMost school vision screenings test only visual acuity. There is a need for a valid, easily administered test that screens for a wider variety of learning-related vision problems. Visual Efficiency RAting (VERA) is a software program designed for schools to detect both routine vision problems and visual skill problems. The purpose of this study was to compare the VERA visual skills screening with the optometric assessment of binocular, accommodative, and ocular motor skills.MethodsOne hundred fifty-four children from grades 3 through 5 were evaluated using the VERA visual skills screening, a clinical battery of visual skills testing, the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey, and 2 reading tests.ResultsThe sensitivity of VERA in detecting visual skills problems was 45%, and the specificity was 83%. Sensitivity increased to 64% and specificity to 100% in smaller groups of children when overlays of symptoms, classroom behaviors, and reading skills were included.ConclusionsVERA has fairly good sensitivity and very good specificity in detecting visual skills problems. Given that the majority of visual skill deficits currently go undetected, VERA can be considered a reasonably effective method of in-school visual skills screening.