WAC 246-760-010

The definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "AAPOS" or "American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus" means the national organization that advances the quality of children's eye care, supports the training of pediatric ophthalmologists, supports research activities in pediatric ophthalmology, and advances the care of adults with strabismus.

(2) "ASA/ANSI" or "Acoustical Society of America/American National Standards Institute" means the national organization responsible for publishing standards and technical reports that standardize acoustical terminology and measurements, as well as for developing consensus-driven industry standards.

(3) "Audiometer" means an instrument used to measure hearing acuity. It is commonly used in hearing tests, typically by presenting pure tones, speech signals, or other auditory stimuli to assess changes in a person's hearing ability.

(4) "Audiological evaluation" means a comprehensive diagnostic exam used to determine the type, degree, and configuration of reduction in hearing. This evaluation is performed by a licensed professional or specialist to diagnose and characterize hearing reductions and create an individualized treatment plan to address hearing needs.

(5) "Auditory acuity" or "hearing acuity," refers to how sharp or sensitive someone's hearing is. It can mean the ability to hear faint sounds, distinguish between different sounds (like pitch or loudness), and identify the direction from which a sound is coming from.

(6) "Calibrate" means to adjust and/or verify the accuracy of screening equipment to ensure it meets established standards. This process involves checking and fine-tuning the equipment to ensure it provides reliable and consistent results in assessing auditory or visual acuity.

(7) "Crowding bars" means four individual lines surrounding a single optotype.

(8) "Crowding box" or "surround box" means crowding bars on all four sides extended to form a crowding rectangle surrounding a single line of optotypes.

(9) "dB" or "decibel" means a unit of measurement used to express the relative intensity of sound. It is commonly used to quantify sound levels and describe hearing sensitivity.

(10) "Distance vision" means the ability of the eye to see images clearly at a calibrated distance.

(11) "Frequencies" refer to the different pitches of sounds, from low (deep) to high (sharp). Hearing is screened across a range of frequencies to identify reduced hearing at one or more frequencies.

(12) "Hearing screening" means a nondiagnostic test to identify if the person being screened needs to be referred for an audiological evaluation.

(13) "Hz" or "hertz" is the standard unit of measurement used for measuring frequency or pitch.

(14) "HOTV letters" means a test using the letters H, O, T, and V calibrated of a certain size used to assess visual acuity.

(15) "Instrument-based vision screening device" means a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved instrument for vision screening that uses automated technology to provide information about amblyopia and reduced-vision risk factors such as estimates of refractive error and eye misalignment.

(16) "Lay person" means any individual who is conducting school-based vision screening other than a school nurse, a school principal or his or her designee, a licensed vision care professional, or an individual trained by and conducting vision screening on behalf of a nationally recognized service organization that utilizes a test-retest protocol for vision screening. This includes, but is not limited to, retired nurses, nursing students, parents, and school staff.

(17) "LEA vision test(s)" means a test used to measure visual acuity using specific symbols or numbers, designed for those who do not know how to read the letters of the alphabet.

(18) "Licensed vision care professional" means a licensed ophthalmologist or licensed optometrist.

(19) "Near vision acuity" means the ability of the human eye to see objects with clarity at close range, also termed near point acuity or near acuity.

(20) "OAEs" or "otoacoustic emission screening technology or devices" refers to a test that measures the function of the inner ear (cochlea). This technology is commonly used for screening infants and other special populations, particularly when behavioral hearing tests, such as pure tone audiometry, are not appropriate.

(21) "Optotype" means figures, numbers or letters of different sizes used in testing visual acuity.

(22) "Principal's designee" means a public health nurse, special educator, teacher or administrator designated by the school principal and responsible for supervision, training, reporting and referral of vision screening in instances where the school nurse or school principal is not filling this role.

(23) "Probe tip" means the part of an OAE screening device inserted into the ear canal to deliver sound and detect inner ear responses. It must fit snugly and comfortably for accurate screening results.

(24) "School nurse" means a registered nurse acting as the health professional in a school whose specialized practice and attendant tasks and activities advance student health, well-being and achievement; and conforms to Washington state educational and nursing laws according to chapters 18.79 RCW and 246-840 WAC, and WAC 181-79A-223.

(25) "Sloan letters" means a test using 10 specially formed letters which include C, D, H, K, N, O, R, S, V and Z to assess visual acuity.

(26) "Test-retest protocol" means a method of screening where a screener conducts two or more screenings for any student who meets the referral criteria in order to ensure the reliability of the initial screening.

(27) "Tonal stimuli" refer to sounds with a clear pitch or tone, like a musical note or a beep. These sounds are used in hearing tests to check how well someone can hear.

(28) "Visual acuity" refers to the ability of the visual system to discern fine distinctions in the environment as measured with printed or projected visual stimuli.