Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Presenting Visual Acuity in Retinal Vein Occlusions

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objective: To describe the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on visual acuity (VA) at presentation among patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Design: A retrospective single-center cohort study. Subjects: All patients with RVO (central and branch retinal vein occlusion [CRVO and BRVO]) who received their first intravitreal anti-VEGF injection between January 2015 and March 2025 at a single center. Methods: Sociodemographic factors including age, gender, race, and ethnicity were recorded. Social deprivation index (SDI) scores, a proxy for SDOH were determined using zip codes. An aggregate SDOH score was calculated and divided into quintiles, with quintile 5 (Q5) representing the highest SDOH burden. Information on hypertension and smoking status were also collected. Data on best available VA at presentation measurements were collected and were categorized as mild (20/40 or better), moderate (20/50 to 20/100), and severe vision loss (20/200 or worse). Main Outcome Measures: Factors affecting degree of vision loss at presentation. Conclusions: Our study reveals associations between adverse SDOH and presenting VA among patients with RVO. Evaluating and intervening on effects of adverse SDOH may be a means to improve outcomes of patients with RVO. Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.