About this course
Mastering Refraction for Kids is a two hour, comprehensive learning journey to increase your knowledge, confidence and management skills in paediatric prescribing. It covers refraction techniques, visual acuity measures and normative data for children of all ages, and features a strong focus on upskilling your distance and near retinoscopy techniques. It will help you understand when to use cycloplegia and also how to refract accurately without it, as well as how to consider emmetropization when finalizing the prescription for children of all ages. Visual outcomes in specific myopia control treatments are detailed. The course then concludes with practical support aspects such as dispensing considerations, exam review schedules and practice staff training.
Throughout this course you will find downloads, animation and video demonstrations, prescribing advice, test-your-knowledge challenges and more. This is the place to master refraction techniques and prescribing processes for kids - let's get started.
Learner Outcomes
Course Details
Accreditation
- UK: 2 CPD points for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians; C-100094 & C-100095
- AU: 2 CPD hours Quality Assured, Event ID 90003803
- NZ: 2 General points, CPD reference number 50563
- US, CA: 2 hours COPE CE, Course ID: 74359-GO, Activity ID: 122658
Instructor
Dr Kate Gifford PhD
What you will learn
Ch 1: Welcome to the course
Learn about the course content, navigate the platform and set your learning goals.

- Welcome to Mastering Refraction for Kids! Here's what you'll learn
- Disclosures
- How to use this course
- Your continuing education
Ch 2: Why refraction matters
Understand the rates and functional impacts of vision disorders in children, and why early intervention with an accurate refraction can have an enormous impact.

- Rates of vision disorders
- Visual skills for learning
- Amblyopia and functional effects
Ch 3: Measuring visual acuity in kids
Types of visual acuity tests for younger children, accurate measurement with fogging and normative acuity results across childhood are described.

- Professional guidelines for measuring acuity
- Pre-literate acuity tests
- Managing accommodation with fogging
- Visual acuity norms in children
Ch 4: Mastering your retinoscope
The main event! This chapter includes animation and video demonstrations, prescribing advice, reference downloads, calculation challenges and a comprehensive exploration of various techniques for distance and near retinoscopy.
- Reasons to love your retinoscope
- Professional guidelines on use of retinoscopy in kids
- Distance versus Near Retinoscopy
- Near retinoscopy - accuracy, techniques and normative outcomes
- Distance retinoscopy - accuracy and techniques
Ch 5: Autorefraction, cycloplegia and subjective methods
Comparing the accuracy of these other refraction techniques to retinoscopy, this chapter then explores when to use cycloplegia and how to refract accurately without it.

- When to use autorefraction
- When and how to use cycloplegia
- How to refract without cycloplegia
- Subjective refraction
Ch 6: Finalizing the prescription
You've got the refraction - now what should you prescribe? Detailed advice is provided on when to undercorrect and fully correct, based on age and refractive disorder, with respect to childhood emmetropization. Specific advice on visual outcomes in myopia control treatments is also provided.

- What to prescribe and when: by age
- Understanding emmetropization
- Prescribing for myopia - vision outcomes of treatments
Ch 7: Dispensing considerations and practice systems
Putting it all into practice, with a focus on communication. The frame selection lesson can be used as staff training alongside guidance provided on handover systems.
- Frame selection for kids
- Providing advice to parents
- Exam review schedules
- Handover systems to practice staff
- Test your learning - part two
Course Reviews
Individual reviews
Great starting point
Very good start for me as a new grad. Thank you very much.
Top!
Top!
The best learning from the Best teacher
Informative, easy in understanding and incorporating in routine practice and though provoking
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is this course eligible for continuing professional educational credits?
This couse has achieved continuing accrediation in:
- UK: 2 hours 2 CPD points for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians; C-100094 & C-100095
- AU: 2 hours 2 CPD hours Quality Assured, Event ID 90003803
- NZ: 2 hours 2 General points, CPD reference number 50563
- US, CA: 2 hours 2 hours COPE CE, Course ID: 74359-GO, Activity ID: 122658
On completion, we will provide a certificate to you for self-recorded continued professional development purposes, which includes the duration of the course and continuing accreditation details for specific countries. We will also provide post-course administration to accrediting bodies where required. Check your country's requirements regarding continuing education.
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When does the course start and finish?
The course is available now and never ends! It is a self-paced online course - you decide when you start, and set your own pace.
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How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling you will have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.