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Demographic differences found in eye exam rates among adults
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The National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed significant demographic and socioeconomic differences in self-reported eye examination rates in adults 50 to 80 years old.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the high proportion of respondents who reported having had a recent eye exam,” Joshua Ehrlich, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center, told Primary Care Optometry News in an interview. “We should be pleased with this finding, but we should also recognize that there are key underserved groups of older adults who are less likely to receive eye care.”
The cross-sectional, nationally representative online survey was conducted among 2,013 adults from March 9 to 24, 2018.
In the overall study group, 58.5% (95% CI, 56.1% to 60.8%) reported undergoing an eye exam in the past year, and 82.4% (95% CI, 80.4% to 84.2%) reported undergoing an exam in the past 2 years. Eye exam rates were higher in adults with diabetes, with 72.2% (95% CI, 67.2% to 76.8%) reporting undergoing an exam in the past year, and 91.3% (95% CI, 87.7% to 93.9%) undergoing an exam in the past 2 years.
Examination rates were higher among respondents with household incomes of $30,000 or more (adjusted odds ratio = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.29), women (AOR = 2.00; 95% CI, 1.50 to 2.67), and individuals with diabetes (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.50 to 3.54) or a diagnosed age-related eye disease (AOR = 3.67; 95% CI, 2.37 to 5.69). Lower rates were found in respondents who reported fair or poor vision (AOR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.65), were from the Midwest (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.87) or West (AOR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.94), and who were unmarried (AOR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.96).
“While many older U.S. adults appear to be receiving eye care, targeted public health messaging is likely warranted to reach those who are at high risk for vision problems and are less likely to get eye exams,” Ehrlich told PCON. “We need to commit to doing the necessary work to determine whether eye exams in asymptomatic older adults will result in improved vision and vision-related quality of life over the long-term.” – by Eamon Dreisbach
Disclosures:Ehrlich reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for the other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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Ehrlich JR, et al. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019;doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.1927.
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