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Uninsured visually impaired adults often do not use eye care services, survey finds
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(3):303-310.
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Slightly more than 50% of subjects with severe visual impairment reported seeking eye care services within 1 year before being surveyed. Less than 40% of participants with severe visual impairment and no health insurance reported using eye care services.
"Interventions designed to increase eye care utilization rates in select sociodemographic subgroups are needed," the study authors said. "Overall utilization rates may also be enhanced if progress is made toward dramatically increasing the number of Americans with health insurance."
The National Health Interview Survey, conducted between 1997 and 2005, included about 290,000 adults age 18 years or older. Degrees of visual impairment, based on two survey questions, were classified as severe, some impairment or no impairment. Subjects self-reported use of eye care services.
Survey data showed that 58.3% of subjects with severe visual impairment, 49.6% of those with some impairment and 33.7% of those with no impairment had used eye care services in the prior year. Among uninsured subjects, 35.9% with severe visual impairment, 23.8% with some impairment and 14.3% with no impairment sought eye care.
Statistical analyses linked low eye care use rates to no reported visual impairment, lack of health insurance, male sex and low education level, the authors reported.