Abstract
Purpose :
This study served to: (a) determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataract within Erie and Monroe County and (b) analyze geographic and racial disparities within these chronic eye diseases.
Methods :
This study was conducted using data from the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS), a program developed by the Center for Disease Control Vision Health Initiative (CDC VHI), from 2014-2019.
All statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism. Secondary data that compared more than two groups utilized either a one-way ANOVA or two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s or Sidak’s correction for multiple comparisons. Bartlett’s test and Brown-Forsythe’s test were used to assess variances across groups in our ANOVAs. Secondary data with two groups were analyzed with two-tailed unpaired t-tests and were checked for normality using the D’Agostino-Pearson omnibus test (K2). An F-test was used to compare variances across groups in t-tests.
Results :
Prevalence rates of diagnosed cataracts and glaucoma are lower in Western New York than in New York State. Eye care utilization, particularly eye examinations and cataract surgery, are also lower in Western New York than in New York State. In addition, visual health disparities in traditionally underrepresented racial/ethnic groups were seen in cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease prevalence throughout New York State. Black, non-Hispanic individuals in New York State face significant burden from glaucoma as compared to all other self-identified races. Racial/ethnic groups in New York State that showed significantly increased risk for diabetic eye disease included Black, non-Hispanics, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans.
Conclusions :
Prevalence of diagnosed cataracts and glaucoma was lower in Western New York than in New York State as a whole. Our research also revealed significantly lower rates of utilization of eye care services in Western New York, with a significant association with an individual’s race/ethnicity. As such, our research raises concerns for issues of equitable access to and utilization of eye care services in the region that may contribute to the pool of potentially undiagnosed and under-treated eye disease we see in our patient populations.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.