Exploring Domains and Key Items for a New Paediatric Vision Screening Index Using Qualitative Interviews

Exploring Domains and Key Items for a New Paediatric Vision Screening Index Using Qualitative Interviews | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Exploring Domains and Key Items for a New Paediatric Vision Screening Index Using Qualitative Interviews Baqiatu’l Sabiqi 'Assfi Rahmat, Md Mustafa Md-Muziman-Syah, Noraishah Mohamed Nor, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8794433/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Early identification of oculovisual problems in children is vital to prevent long-term developmental and educational challenges. Current oculovisual screening approaches have gaps in assessing specific aspects of vision disorders and a shortage of user-friendly, self-administered, and freely accessible tools. This study explores interview-based perspectives to inform the conceptualisation and development of items for a self-administered digital paediatric vision screening index. A qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews with twenty participants: nine paediatric vision care experts, six parents of children aged 4–12 with diagnosed vision problems, and five children aged 10–12. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. The interviews were conducted using a pre-developed interview guide, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis in Atlas.ti version 24. A hybrid deductive-inductive approach was applied, allowing themes to emerge while mapping them onto pre-identified domains of vision problem indicators. Thematic analysis identified four core conceptual domains: reduced vision clarity, binocular vision anomalies, ocular surface disorders, and poor visual perception. Participants verified the relevance of 27 items identified through a systematic review and contributed 5 additional items grounded in real-world observations and lived experience. These inductively generated items included symptoms such as poor handwriting, avoidance of near tasks, and hypersensitivity to bright light, which are often overlooked in conventional screening protocols. This qualitative approach provides a critical foundation for the subsequent psychometric validation of a parent- and child-friendly vision screening index, ultimately contributing to more equitable and accessible eye health services for children. paediatric vision screening question-based qualitative interview thematic analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 31 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 26 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 20 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8794433","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608897733,"identity":"ed1568cc-52bc-4282-bb5d-4131723a459b","order_by":0,"name":"Baqiatu’l Sabiqi 'Assfi Rahmat","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Management and Science University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Baqiatu’l","middleName":"Sabiqi 'Assfi","lastName":"Rahmat","suffix":""},{"id":608897734,"identity":"27684b02-e51a-482a-8d41-4ccac3aae41d","order_by":1,"name":"Md Mustafa Md-Muziman-Syah","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBCDBAYGxgYQQw5EHHhAtJYDDAzGYC0JxGkBKWVgSGxAcLED8/b2hw9+7rHLY5BIbvv8sc0mfX7Y4YdAW+zkdBuwa5E5c8bYsOdZcjGDRGLzjINtabkbb6cZALUkG5sdwK5FQiKHTYLnwIHEBp6DzQwH2w7nbpydANJyIHEbLi3yz5///IPQ8j/dcHb6B/xaJBjMmMG2sDeCtBxIkJfOIWALT46xtMyB5MQ2kJYz55INN0jnFBxIMMDjF/bjDz++OWCX2M/M/pihosxOXn52+uYPHyrs5HBpgQM2GMMArNKAgHIUIN9AiupRMApGwSgYCQAAmUBkXRRC0dsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"International Islamic University Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Md","middleName":"Mustafa","lastName":"Md-Muziman-S","suffix":"Md"},{"id":608897735,"identity":"faa1370a-296e-4fe9-97f7-ad789a409e60","order_by":2,"name":"Noraishah Mohamed Nor","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"International Islamic University Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noraishah","middleName":"Mohamed","lastName":"Nor","suffix":""},{"id":608897736,"identity":"985e244e-f45a-423e-9b82-1fc2b00cb604","order_by":3,"name":"Thashini Sanmugam","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Management and Science University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thashini","middleName":"","lastName":"Sanmugam","suffix":""},{"id":608897739,"identity":"b3e3202e-d8b9-4d52-9049-f9ffd4e8cd26","order_by":4,"name":"Noor Fakhira Muneera Abdul Halim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"International Islamic University Malaysia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noor","middleName":"Fakhira Muneera Abdul","lastName":"Halim","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-05 08:40:50","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8794433/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8794433/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105563025,"identity":"22487011-3d5f-4034-b332-22d376d296c2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-27 12:45:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":565204,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript19226.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8794433/v1_covered_ccfc7658-b1ac-4816-9c0f-eeb6cc51cb6b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Exploring Domains and Key Items for a New Paediatric Vision Screening Index Using Qualitative Interviews","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Public Health](https://link.springer.com/journal/12982)","snPcode":"12982","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/12982/3","title":"Discover Public Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"paediatric vision screening, question-based, qualitative interview, thematic analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8794433/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8794433/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eEarly identification of oculovisual problems in children is vital to prevent long-term developmental and educational challenges. 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