UC Irvine

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the disparities in visual impairment, annual eye care visits, and eyeglass affordability by race/ethnicity and associated covariates among the United States (U.S.) adult population.

Method: The combined sample size of six years’ NHIS data was 199,622, which represented 241,555,788 U.S. adults population each year. The prevalence of were standardized to the 2014 U.S. Census population. Multivariable logistic regression models were built to calculate adjusted odds ratios to find the potential explanations for the disparities. Weighted least squares linear regression was used to estimate the linear trends of the prevalence.

Results: For adults age ≥18, there were significant disparities in the prevalence of self-reported visual impairment (VI) and eye care utilization between different racial and ethnic groups. Associated covariates each carried an independent association with the disparities and provided some understanding in racial and ethnic disparities. There was no trend of visual impairment, but an increasing trend of annual eye doctor visits and a decreasing trend of being unable to afford eyeglasses during the past six years.

Conclusions: There were disparities in visual impairment and eye care utilization among U.S. adults by race and ethnicity. The associated covariates contributed to racial and ethnic disparities. There was an increasing trend of annual eye doctor visits and a decreasing trend of being unable to afford eyeglasses among the U.S. adults. More research is imperative to understand the underlying reasons and mechanisms. Innovative interventions are needed to reduce unnecessary vision loss among high-risk groups.