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Health Service opticians. Immediately after children obtain their spectacles
they are re-examined at the eye clinics. Children requiring orthoptic
treatment are referred to hospital. Vision testing of all school children
is carried out at the time of their routine medical examinations, and also
at thirteen years of age.
Audiology
The audiology service run jointly with the London Borough of Merton
continued to expand. Not only the number of attendances at the audiology
clinic increased but following a survey of approximately 800 secondary pupils
in 1966 when 32 children were found to require further investigation, it was
agreed to extend the sweep testing of children to the secondary schools, and
it is hoped to start this service in 1968.
The service is staffed by a medical officer specially trained in
this work who is assisted by an audiometrician and a teacher of the deaf. All
pupils have a routine hearing test between the ages of six and seven and each
primary school is now visited annually by the audiometrician.
In addition to cases seen at the audiology clinic, home visits were
made to pre-school children with hearing impairment and the peripatetic teacher
of the deaf made periodic visits to schools which children with impaired hearing
attended.
Details of the work undertaken in schools:
Children sweep tested - 1710 Children who failed test - 127
Result of investigations by school medical officers:
No significant hearing loss on clinical
examination 42
No significant hearing loss, but child appears
mentally retarded 2
Hearing loss confirmed and attributed to:
(i) Catarrhal condition (with or without
inflammation of ear) 29
(ii) Old otitis media 15
(iii) Injury -
(iv) Other oauses 12
(v) Undetermined causes 15
Investigations incomplete at end of year 9
Investigations not possible - left district or
otherwise unavailable for examination 3