Frequency of ophthalmic assessments among elderly whites and African Americans with eye disease and impact on visual function

Objectives: To study the difference in patterns of utilization of eye-care services among white and African American senior citizens with eye disease and its impact on visual function. Methods: This study involved cross-secti onal assessments of visual function using the Activities of Daily Vision Sc ale (ADVS), as well as retrospective self-recall of history of eye disease and frequency of ophthalmic assessments. Participants included 99 consecuti ve elderly patients with history of eye disease who were attending the outp atient medical clinics at Nassau University Medical Center, a community tea ching hospital in Long Island, New York. Results: White Americans constitut ed 52% of the study sample and African Americans constituted the remaining 48%. African American subjects were less likely than whites to report visit ing an eye specialist over the previous 5 years (69% versus 88%, P < 0.05). African American subjects who reported undergoing ophthalmic assessments o ver the past 5 years showed a trend of having higher ADVS scores (indicatin g better visual function) compared with those who did not report such histo ry (86 +/- 12 versus 79 +/- 15, P = 0.098). On the other hand, reporting su ch history had no apparent relation to the ADVS scores in whites. Conclusio ns: African American elderly ambulatory medical patients with eye disease w ere less likely than their white counterparts to report use of eye-care ser vices. The use of eye-care services in African American but not white subje cts was linked to better visual function as assessed by the ADVS.