A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology has brought to light the lived experience of many people of color with glaucoma who have difficulty affording medications.*

Study co-author Sally Baxter, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Diego, says growing interest in studying patients’ adherence to their medication regimen is being overshadowed by patients’ inability to afford the needed medications in the first place. The research team at UC San Diego sought a better understanding of how race and ethnicity factor into glaucoma medication adherence. 

What the Researchers Did

Using the National Institutes of Health’s “All of Us” database, the team identified 3,826 glaucoma patients who provided demographic information: age, race/ethnicity, income, insurance, education. 

• African Americans, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic Whites were represented. 
• Average age was 69 years, and 60% (2,307 individuals) were female.

Two (2) Interesting Findings

Even after accounting for socioeconomic factors like income and job status, African American and Hispanic patients were much more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to report difficulty affording medications.

Louis Pasquale, M.D., director of New York Eye and Ear’s Eye and Vision Research Institute, noted that glaucoma care in the U.S. costs more than $9 billion annually, and that cost is due mainly to the necessity of ongoing treatment. Any lapses in care can be devastating for patients.

Baxter believes this lack of affordability could stem from two study findings:

• Members of minority patient groups are less apt to request cheaper medication options.
• Doctors often aren’t aware of the cost of the treatments they prescribe, and don’t always talk about cost with patients.

“The higher burden of glaucoma in people of color has been well documented,” said Pasquale, and their relative inability to pay for medications, documented in the study, adds a critical barrier to the visual burden these patients already experience. “Removing this inequity,” he added, “could result in considerable reductions of visual disability at the population-based level.”

Vision Care Financial Assistance

Fortunately, help is available. To break down these financial barriers, nonprofit organization Prevent Blindness provides an extensive list of financial assistance resources for glaucoma patients who are unable to pay for testing, treatments, and care.

Several examples are:

The HealthWell Foundation

P.O. Box 489

Buckeystown, MD 21717

Phone: (800) 675-8416

Fax: (800) 282-7692

www.healthwellfoundation.org

The HealthWell Foundation offers financial assistance to qualified individuals to cover insurance co-payments, premiums, and deductibles for certain treatments.

American Glaucoma Society/AGS Cares

655 Beach Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

Phone: (415) 561-8587

Fax: (415) 561-8531

Email: ags@aao.org

https://www.americanglaucomasociety.net/patients/ags-cares

A public service of the AGS Foundation, AGS Cares is committed to offering no-cost surgical care to uninsured glaucoma patients eligible for such care. The care is provided by a national network of volunteer glaucoma surgeons.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology EyeCare America® Program

P.O. Box 429098

San Francisco, CA 94142-9098

Phone: (877) 887-6327

Fax: (415) 561-8567

www.aao.org/eyecareamerica

EyeCare America® offers U.S. citizens and legal residents eye care through volunteer ophthalmologists. Over 90% of care provided is at no cost to qualifying individuals, who often have to pay out-of-pocket. To see whether you qualify, visit www.aao.org/eyecareamerica.

*Carroll, L. (2022, March 4). Minorities Have Harder Time Affording Glaucoma Medications. Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/969589