RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: To compare sociodemographic factors in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with emergent and non-emergent eye-related concerns. DESIGN: Cross-sectional multicenter study. SUBJECTS: 60,677 patients with eye-related concerns who visited EDs at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Wills Eye Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and Johns Hopkins Hospital/Wilmer Eye Institute from January 1st, 2019 until December 31st, 2019. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were performed using STATA 17. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 1) Sociodemographic factors associated with emergent diagnoses, 2) Visit patterns across ED settings (i.e. standard ED vs eye ED), and 3) the most common emergent and non-emergent diagnoses. RESULTS: A total of 60,677 eye-related ED encounters were included in the study, including 22,434 at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, 16,124 at Wills Eye Hospital, 15,487 at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and 6,632 at Johns Hopkins Hospital/Wilmer Eye Institute. Most patients had non-emergent diagnoses (56.7%). Males (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.79-1.92) were more likely to have an emergent diagnosis than females. Patients with private/employer-based insurance (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.96), Medicare (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72-0.87), and Medicaid (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.74-0.89) were all less likely to have an emergent diagnosis than uninsured patients. Those with veteran/military insurance (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.87-1.34) were equally likely to have an emergent diagnosis compared to uninsured patients. Non-White Hispanic patients (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.12-1.42) were more likely to present with an emergent condition than White patients. Patient seen in the standard ED setting were more likely to have emergent diagnoses than those who visited standalone eye EDs (P < 0.001). The most common emergent diagnoses were corneal abrasion (12.97%), extraocular foreign body (7.61%), and corneal ulcer (7.06%). The most common non-emergent diagnoses were dry eye (7.90%), posterior vitreous detachment (7.76%), and chalazion (6.57%). CONCLUSIONS: ED setting was associated with the acuity of patient diagnoses. Lack of insurance coverage and non-White Hispanic race/ethnicity were associated with emergent eye-related ED visits. Improving access to ophthalmic care in these populations may reduce the incidence of preventable eye emergencies related to untreated chronic conditions. This combined with measures to redirect non-emergent issues to outpatient clinics may alleviate ED overload.