Glaucoma requires consistent follow-up to avoid disease progression. Yet, lack of assistance and coordination with transportation to doctor offices, clinics, and other providers can prevent many low-income adults from accessing services. Learn what one study revealed about how lack of transportation can affect vision care, and what resources may be available to you.*

Many Americans with chronic conditions delaying care

In a 2020 study, researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill investigated the number of Americans who delay medical care due to lack of transportation, along with any differences among patient populations. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) between 1997 and 2017, they discovered that:

• 5.8 million Americans delayed medical care due to lack of transportation in 2017. 
• Lack of transportation increased between 2003 and 2009.
• People with Hispanic ethnicity, low incomes, dependence on Medicaid, and/or functional limitations had the greatest likelihood of a transportation barrier.

What the researchers did

In the more recent study, several medical researchers from Rush University and Northwestern University in Chicago and Philadelphia’s Wills Eye Hospital looked specifically at how people with glaucoma are impacted by transportation issues.  

The researchers used the same NHIS data—though this time only the data from 2016-2017, which included questions about glaucoma—to determine how lack of transportation impacted eye-related and general medical care over a one-year period. Of the 59,770 people who completed the survey:

• 51.8% were women 
• 79.1% were White 
• 12.7% Black 
• 13.7% were below the poverty line

What they found

Of the nearly 60,000 respondents, 1,996 reported a glaucoma diagnosis, with 643 reporting related vision loss. The results showed that glaucoma was linked to:

• Women, 
• Black race, 
• Older age, and 
• A higher number of concurrent medical conditions.

They also revealed that:

• 4.9% of adults with glaucoma delayed both eye-related care and general medical care because of a lack of transportation—equal to about 312,226 Americans each year
• Those with glaucoma had higher rates of delayed care due to lack of transportation than those without glaucoma.
• Delayed care from transportation barriers increased with glaucoma severity.
• Delayed care from lack of transportation was associated with a greater number of emergency room visits.

Among people with glaucoma, delayed care due to transportation issues was linked to women, the Southern U.S., and higher comorbidities.

What it means

Since people with glaucoma, especially those with vision loss, had higher rates of delayed care from lack of transportation, public health interventions are necessary to remove these barriers. National nonprofit Prevent Blindness provides information to help you find transportation services in your area. You can also contact your state’s Department of Elder Affairs, your local Area Agency on Aging, your local Council on Aging, or the American Foundation for the Blind, for further resources.

*Kim, A. B., Cheng, B. T., & Tanna, A. P. (2023, March 27). Delayed medical care due to lack of transportation among US adults with glaucoma. Ophthalmology Glaucoma. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ogla.2023.03.007