Results.
A total of 161 (75%) of the optometrists and 59 (57%) of the ophthalmologists responded. About one-third of optometrists surveyed prescribe optical correction for symptom-free 6-month-old infants with +3.00 D to +4.00 D hyperopia, but fewer than 5% of ophthalmologists prescribe at this level. Most eye care practitioners prescribe optical correction for symptom-free 2-year-old children with +5.00 D of hyperopia, and this criterion for hyperopia decreases with age. Most ophthalmologists (71.4%) prescribe the full amount of astigmatism and less than the full amount of cycloplegic spherical component, and most optometrists (71.6%) prescribe less than the full amount of both components. When prescribing less than the full amount of astigmatism, eye care practitioners do not tend to prescribe a specific proportion of the cycloplegic refractive error.
Conclusion.
Pediatric eye care providers show a lack of consensus on prescribing philosophies for hyperopic children.