A cross-sectional study reveals clinic-based telemedicine engages high-risk adults underusing eye care, suggesting community screening can improve detection of preventable vision loss.
Key Points
To identify reasons for eye care underuse and determine whether a community clinic-based telemedicine program effectively reaches high-risk adults who underuse eye care services.
Conducted a population-based cross-sectional study among 1171 adult participants across two low-income clinics (a free clinic and a federally qualified health center) between June 2020 and January 2022.
Assessed health surveys and comprehensive telemedicine eye disease screening results, defining underuse as going two or more years without an eye examination.
Screening identified eye disease in participants who had not had an eye examination in 2 or more years: 21% (n = 137) screened positive for glaucoma, 20% (n = 129) for cataract, 6% (n = 38) for diabetic retinopathy, and 1% (n = 9) for age-related macular degeneration.
High rates of eye care underuse were observed in high-risk groups, including 33% of adults with diabetes (n = 214), 33% of Black adults aged 50 years and older (n = 202), and 23% of adults aged 65 years and older (n = 151).
The most common reasons reported for underusing eye care were lacking insurance (28% [175 of 627]), perceiving no need or vision problem (22% [135 of 627]), and examination cost (16% [101 of 627]).