Characterizing Ophthalmic Visits to Emergency Departments from a National Registry System

A descriptive analysis characterized national ophthalmic emergency department (ED) visits and demographics of patients using a national registry system. The results were presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2021 annual meeting.

Suzie Kim, BS, and colleagues utilized the 2010-2018 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from ED visits across the United States via a multistage design. They queried for eye-related ICD codes, which were sorted by category of diagnosis, then analyzed by patient traits. In total, the analysis consisted of 23,148,870 weighted visits.

According to the results, observed presentations were eyelid/lacrimal system/orbit (18%), conjunctiva (40%), sclera/cornea/ciliary body (SCCB; 19%), visual disturbances (VD; 11%), or other (21%). SCCB diagnoses were predominated by men; and VD, by women, the researchers noted. The results showed that private insurance was the most common primary payer across subgroups with the exception of conjunctiva, which had more Medicaid payers.

“Ocular presentation types in the ED showed significant variation based on patient demographics, offering insight into present and future needs in these populations,” the researchers concluded.

Source: Kim S, et al. Characterization of Ophthalmic Visits to Emergency Departments from a National Registry System. Poster 251. Published for AAO 2021; Nov. 12-15, 2021, New Orleans, LA.