Why Check Your Child's Vision at Home?
Vision greatly impacts your child's ability to succeed in school. Unfortunately, many common vision problems like lazy eye or refractive errors go undiagnosed because children have no point of comparison—they are simply unaware that they see things differently than they should.
Vision screening is extremely important, especially early in a child's life (between ages 3 and 6), because many conditions can be fully corrected when caught early. You can use our recommended home vision screening program to regularly test your child's visual acuity.
Jaeb Visual Acuity Screener (JVAS)
The JVAS (Jaeb Visual Acuity Screener) is a pediatric visual acuity test designed for non-ophthalmic healthcare professionals and parents. It uses gold-standard thresholds from international pediatric clinical studies to determine if a child needs a referral to an eye doctor.
Installation Instructions
- Download the JVAS program zip archive: Click here to download (Courtesy Jaeb Center).
- Save the downloaded file to your computer.
- Extract the contents of the ZIP folder.
- Open and print the file named "HOTV Matching Card" (preferably laminate it).
- Open and print the "Instructions" document.
- Double-click the "JVAS.exe" program to start the screening test on your monitor.
How to Conduct the Test at Home
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Set the Distance: Calibrate the software as prompted, then mark a spot on the floor exactly 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from the screen.
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Cover One Eye: Use a patch (adhesive or soft) to cover the child's left eye completely. Ensure there are no gaps for peeking.
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Explain the Process: The screen will display the letters H, O, T, V. For children aged 3 to 6, let them point to the letter on the printed matching card if they cannot name them out loud.
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Test and Switch: Follow the software's prompts, clicking "Correct" or "Incorrect" based on the child's response. Once the right eye is finished, switch the patch to the right eye and test the left eye.
Note: This home screening is not a replacement for a formal medical exam. If the JVAS software outputs a "Refer" result, or if you notice your child squinting, sitting too close to the TV, or tilting their head, please contact Utsav Eye Clinic to schedule a professional pediatric eye checkup.