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The Association between Socioeconomic Status and Structural or Functional Baseline Measurements for Patients
Jacqueline L Chen1, Fabio Lavinsky1, Ting-Fang Lee2
1Glaucoma Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ophthalmology. Glaucoma
|December 29, 2025
Summary
Socioeconomic status impacts eye health in glaucoma patients. Lower socioeconomic status is linked to more severe optic nerve damage and poorer visual field function before trabeculectomy surgery.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Glaucoma management requires regular monitoring of structural and functional eye measurements.
- Socioeconomic status (SES) can influence health outcomes and access to care.
- Understanding the link between SES and glaucoma severity is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between neighborhood area deprivation index (a proxy for SES) and baseline ocular structural and functional measures.
- To analyze these associations in patients who eventually underwent trabeculectomy surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 154 eyes from the DOMAIN cohort.
- Utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field (VF) data for baseline measurements.
- Employed univariate and multivariate regression analyses, controlling for age, race, and gender.
Main Results:
- Greater neighborhood deprivation was associated with worse structural measures (e.g., larger cup volume, thinner RNFL and GCIPL) and functional measures (lower VFI, MD).
- These associations remained significant in multivariate analysis for cup volume, VFI, and MD.
- Patients in the most deprived areas had significantly lower mean deviation (MD) compared to those in the least deprived areas.
Conclusions:
- Lower socioeconomic status is correlated with increased optic nerve damage.
- Poorer visual field performance at presentation is associated with lower SES in patients undergoing trabeculectomy.
- These findings highlight the impact of socioeconomic factors on glaucoma severity.
