Social Vulnerability, Prevalence of Glaucoma, and Incidence of Glaucoma Surgery in the California Medicare Population

Victoria L Tseng; Ken Kitayama; Fei Yu; Deyu Pan; Anne L Coleman

doi:10.1016/j.ogla.2023.05.005

Social Vulnerability, Prevalence of Glaucoma, and Incidence of Glaucoma Surgery in the California Medicare Population

Ophthalmol Glaucoma. 2023 Nov-Dec;6(6):616-625. doi: 10.1016/j.ogla.2023.05.005. Epub 2023 May 19.

Authors

Victoria L Tseng¹, Ken Kitayama², Fei Yu³, Deyu Pan¹, Anne L Coleman⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: coleman@jsei.ucla.edu.

PMID: 37211091
DOI: 10.1016/j.ogla.2023.05.005

Abstract

Purpose: To examine associations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores with prevalence of glaucoma and incidence of glaucoma surgery in 2019 California Medicare beneficiaries.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Participants: 2019 California Medicare beneficiaries ≥ 65 years old with part A and part B coverage.

Methods: The exposure of interest was SVI score, which was assessed overall and by themes. Outcomes included prevalence of glaucoma in the study population and incidence of glaucoma surgery in beneficiaries with glaucoma. Logistic regression modeling was performed to assess associations between quartiles of each type of SVI score, prevalence of glaucoma, and incidence of glaucoma surgery, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, pseudophakia, and age-related macular degeneration.

Main outcome measures: Prevalence of any glaucoma, primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), secondary open angle glaucoma (SOAG), and angle closure glaucoma in all beneficiaries. Incidence of any glaucoma surgery, trabeculectomy, tube shunt, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), and cyclophotocoagulation (CPC) in beneficiaries with glaucoma.

Results: Of 5 725 245 beneficiaries in the total study population, there were 215 814 (3.8%) with any glaucoma, and of those with glaucoma, 10 135/215 814 (4.7%) underwent glaucoma surgery. In adjusted analyses for overall SVI score, where higher levels of SVI refer to higher levels of social vulnerability, there were decreased odds of any glaucoma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.82, 0.84 for Q4 vs. Q1), POAG (aOR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.84, 0.87 for Q4 vs. Q1), and SOAG (aOR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.55, 0.63 for Q4 vs. Q1) in higher (Q4) vs. lower (Q1) SVI quartile. There were increased odds of any glaucoma surgery (aOR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.12, 1.26 for Q4 vs. Q1), MIGS (aOR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.15, 1.33 for Q4 vs. Q1), and CPC (aOR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.29, 1.76 for Q4 vs. Q1) for higher (Q4) vs. lower (Q1) SVI quartile.

Conclusions: In the 2019 California Medicare population, there were variable associations between SVI score, prevalence of glaucoma, and incidence of glaucoma surgery. Further investigation is needed to understand the role of social, economic, and demographic factors in glaucoma care on the individual and structural levels.

Financial disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Keywords: Area deprivation; Glaucoma; Glaucoma surgery; Medicare; Social vulnerability.

MeSH terms

Aged
California / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Glaucoma* / epidemiology
Glaucoma* / surgery
Glaucoma, Open-Angle* / surgery
Humans
Incidence
Medicare
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Social Vulnerability
United States / epidemiology