Public and private schools may request that their students be screened by the College of Optometry. This request may be processed through the School Screening Service Chief or through the College Administration Office which will forward the call or message to the School Screening Service Chief. Students do not need to be IHS eligible to be seen as part of a school screening. These external school screenings are conducted in the Fall and Spring semester, and are staffed by First Year students in the spring and Second Year.

 

In the fall of their second year, students perform school screenings under the direct supervision of the School Screening Service Chief. In the event that a child "Fails" a school screening evaluation, the teacher is advised and the parent is sent a copy of the "Parental Report Form," which describes the areas of difficulty. It is left to the parent to decide upon the course of action to be taken, and no attempt is made to steer the family to individual practitioners or toward the College of Optometry or its affiliated programs. Student clinicians conduct the tests and record the results during screening clinics, but do not attempt to make diagnostic decisions or discuss the implications of findings with either the patient, the parents or guardians, or teachers. It is the responsibility of the supervising staff doctor to evaluate the screening form and to make recommendations based on the student clinicians’ data.