Canadian Guideline Recommends Against Vision Screening of Older Adults in Primary Care Settings

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older should not be screened for impaired vision during primary care visits, according to a new guideline from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The group says it found low-quality evidence that such screening does not seem to improve functional limitations or quality of life.

The recommendation is more definitive than the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's stance: in 2016, the USPSTF said the evidence was insufficient to recommend for or against such screening in primary care settings.