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. 2019 Sep 1;137(9):1061-1066.
doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.1927.

Self-reported Eye Care Use Among US Adults Aged 50 to 80 Years

Joshua R Ehrlich  1   2 , Tochukwu Ndukwe  3 , Erica Solway  2 , Maria A Woodward  1   2 , Dianne C Singer  4 , Paula Anne Newman-Casey  1   2 , Matthias Kirch  2 , Lindsey B Delott  1   2 , Jeffrey T Kullgren  2   5   6 , Brian C Stagg  1   7 , David C Musch  1   2   8 , Preeti N Malani  2   6
Affiliations

Self-reported Eye Care Use Among US Adults Aged 50 to 80 Years

Joshua R Ehrlich et al. JAMA Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Importance: Contemporary data on use of eye care by US adults are critical, as the prevalence of age-related eye disease and vision impairment are projected to increase in the coming decades.

Objectives: To provide nationally representative estimates on self-reported use of eye care by adults aged 50 to 80 years, and to describe the reasons that adults do and do not seek eye care.

Design, setting, and participants: The National Poll on Healthy Aging, a cross-sectional, nationally representative online survey was conducted from March 9 to 24, 2018, among 2013 individuals aged 50 to 80 years.

Main outcomes and measures: The proportion of US adults who received an eye examination within the past 2 years as well as the sociodemographic and economic factors associated with receipt of eye care.

Results: Among 2013 adults aged 50 to 80 years (survey-weighted proportion of women, 52.5%; white non-Hispanic, 71.1%; mean [SD] age, 62.1 [9.0] years), the proportion reporting that they underwent an eye examination in the past year was 58.5% (95% CI, 56.1%-60.8%) and in the past 2 years was 82.4% (95% CI, 80.4%-84.2%). Among those with diabetes, 72.2% (95% CI, 67.2%-76.8%) reported undergoing an eye examination in the past year and 91.3% (95% CI, 87.7%-93.9%) in the past 2 years. The odds of having undergone an eye examination within the past 2 years were higher among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.00; 95% CI, 1.50-2.67), respondents with household incomes of $30 000 or more (AOR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.08-2.29), and those with a diagnosed age-related eye disease (AOR, 3.67; 95% CI, 2.37-5.69) or diabetes (AOR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.50-3.54). The odds were lower for respondents who were unmarried (AOR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53-0.96), from the Midwest (AOR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.34-0.87) or West (AOR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.38-0.94), or reported fair or poor vision (AOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28-0.65). Reasons reported for not undergoing a recent eye examination included having no perceived problems with their eyes or vision (41.5%), cost (24.9%), or lack of insurance coverage (23.4%).

Conclusions and relevance: In this study, the rate of eye examinations was generally high among US adults aged 50 to 80 years, yet there were several significant demographic and socioeconomic differences in the use of eye care. These findings may be relevant to health policy efforts to address disparities in eye care and to promote care for those most at risk for vision problems.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Ehrlich reported receiving grants from the National Eye Institute during the conduct of the study. Dr Solway reported receiving grants from AARP during the conduct of the study. Dr Woodward reported receiving grants from the National Eye Institute during the conduct of the study; and grants from Warby Parker, travel expenses from Eversight Eye Banks, and holding equity in Vortex Surgical outside the submitted work. Ms Singer reported receiving grants from AARP during the conduct of the study. Dr Newman-Casey reported receiving grant K23EY025320 from the National Eye Institute and grants and Career Development Award from Research to Prevent Blindness during the conduct of the study. Dr Delott reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute outside the submitted work. Dr Kullgren reported receiving personal fees from SeeChange Health, HealthMine, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AbilTo Inc, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, and American Diabetes Association outside the submitted work; and being a VA (Veterans Affairs) HSR&D Career Development awardee at the Ann Arbor VA. Dr Malani reported receiving grants from AARP during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.. Reasons Reported for Obtaining and Not Obtaining Recent Eye Care Among Older US Adults Aged 50 to 80 Years
Proportions are weighted to represent the total population of US adults aged 50 to 80 years. Error bars indicate 95% CIs, and eye doctor indicates ophthalmologist or optometrist. aRespondents were asked to select the main reason for receiving eye care. bRespondents were asked to select the reason(s) they had not received eye care.
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Comment in

  • Eye Care Trends in Young Adults-Reply.
    Ehrlich JR, Malani PN. Ehrlich JR, et al. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020 Jan 1;138(1):105. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.4666. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020. PMID: 31750864 No abstract available.
  • Eye Care Trends in Young Adults.
    Ahuja AS, Reddy VP, Halperin LS. Ahuja AS, et al. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020 Jan 1;138(1):104-105. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.4663. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020. PMID: 31750872 No abstract available.

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