The PhotoScreener™ is a patented microprocessor-controlled camera system that easily identifies possible serious eye problems earlier than ever before. The PhotoScreener™ is unique because it is the first device that provides an instant image, is easy to use and cost thousands of dollars less than other devices. It is the first portable device that is capable of detecting all refractive errors, media opacities (such as cataracts), anisometropia, strabismus and astigmatism. The PhotoScreener™ uses a non-invasive visual screening technique, called PhotoScreening. This technique is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical organizations. The PhotoScreener™ does not require a child to provide verbal responses to the test, thereby allowing the screening of our youngest children when the diagnosis of eye disorders is most critical. The PhotoScreener™ is also effective in screening difficult-to-screen children as well as developmentally challenged children and adults. A detailed description of the PhotoScreener™ vision screening process can be found on our training page.

Amblyopia (also known as "lazy eye") affects approximately five percent of the population and is the leading cause of binocular vision loss in children and adults. It is estimated that one in 20 children will develop a serious eye disorder. Normal vision development in infants is a critical stage in the future eyesight of children and adults. An infant's brain responds to visual signals received by the eyes and this creates the development of the "connections" for normal sight. If these connections do not develop properly during the first few years of an infant's life, normal sight cannot be achieved as the child ages and becomes an adult.

Early detection of amblyopia can allow for correction in most cases and the development of healthy normal vision. The incubation period for amblyopia is when a child is one to three years old. Many investigators recommend screening be performed before the age of 24 months (Ehrlich MI, Reinecke RD , Simons, K. (1983) Preschool vision screening for amblyopia and strabismus. Programs, methods, guidelines. Survey of Ophthalmology 28:145-63; Flynn JT. (1991) Amblyopia revisited. Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology . 28:183-201; Campos E. (1995). Amblyopia. Survey of Ophthalmology . 40:1). Vision screening is therefore vital to a child's development during this critical period. However, vision screening often occurs too late, or sometimes not at all. Most screening occurs during pediatric visits when a child is five to six years old, which is well beyond the period when amblyopia can be easily treated.

Statistics confirm that approximately 21% of preschool children are screened for amblyopia and other eye disorders. The low rate of screening can be attributed to the lack of a low-cost, reliable, and portable screening device, as well as to the lack of general awareness by pediatricians and parents on the need for early vision screening.

Many screening programs that are available lack a significant feature of the PhotoScreener™, which is the lack of reliance on the subjective responses of the children who are tested. If a child is required to give verbal responses to indicate their visual ability, this limits testing to children with verbal skills, thereby precluding preverbal children and thus early diagnosis and treatment when it is most critical.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Acadmy of Ophthalmology and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus recommend that children undergo a comprehensive vision screening during their preschool years (ages three to five) to detect amblyopia and other eye disorders