Evaluation of Refraction Outcomes From the QuickSee Wavefront Autorefractor Versus Subjective Clinical Refractometry in Children With Restricted Access to Eye Care in Amazonas, Brazil

Background This study compared the refraction measurements of the QuickSee wavefront autorefractor with those from clinical refraction measurements in preschool and elementary school children from public schools in Amazonas, Brazil. Methodology Refractometry was performed on 368 eyes from 368 healthy Brazilian public school students aged 4 to 7 years using both the QuickSee and subjective clinical methods under cycloplegia. Only right-eye data were analyzed. The results were converted into spherical equivalents and vector magnitudes for comparison. Results The difference in spherical equivalents between QuickSee and subjective clinical refractometry under cycloplegia was +0.38 ± 0.60 Diopters (D) (p < 0.0001). Along the 90° axis, the vector difference was +0.20 ± 0.33 D (p < 0.0001), and the oblique vector difference was +0.03 ± 0.22 D (p = 0.0395). Conclusions While a statistically significant difference was found between the QuickSee and subjective clinical refractometry results, the difference was not clinically meaningful. The strong agreement between these methods supports the utility of QuickSee as an effective tool for refractive assessment in children with limited access to eye care. These findings provide confidence in using QuickSee in public school settings as a reliable alternative for vision screening.