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Ophthalmic health care needs of children with disabilities

Eye volume 38, pages 481–487 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Backgrounds

Although vision care is crucial for pediatric eye health, research on vision care utilization by children with disabilities remains limited. Furthermore, no study has investigated the variations among various disability types and the interaction between disability status and age.

Methods

All children with disabilities listed in the Taiwan National Disability Registry during the study period (2015–2019) were matched by age and sex at a 1:4 ratio with children without disabilities. Vision care needs were measured on the basis of (1) the number of outpatient ophthalmology visits, (2) total medical costs associated with outpatient ophthalmology visits, and (3) whether ophthalmic care was provided. Generalized estimating equation models were estimated to determine the relationships between utilization, disability status, and age.

Results

Significant differences in needs between various disability types were identified. Other than children with visual disability, children with facial disability and balance abnormalities also had considerable needs. Children with intellectual disabilities, which constituted the most common disability type (29.4% in 2019), had fewer visits (mean = 1.38, SD = 2.12) and lower medical costs, compared with the averages for all children with disabilities. Care utilization shared an inverted U-shaped relationship with age.

Conclusions

Children with disabilities have higher vision care needs, which vary by disability type and age. Such needs are greater at younger ages and decreases after the ages of 9–10 years. Policies should be specific to disability type and age to ensure vision care needs are met.

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Fig. 1: Number of children with disability by age in selective years.
Fig. 2: Predictions of GEE models for ophthalmic outpatient use. displays the regression results for the 3 measures by age and disability status.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available.

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Funding

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (National Science and Technology Council), Taiwan. Grant number: 112-2314-B-A49 -052 -MY3 and Health and Welfare Data Science Center, NYCU Branch.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Public Health, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Christy Pu & Chiun-Ho Hou

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chiun-Ho Hou

Authors
  1. Christy Pu
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Contributions

CP conceptualized the study and obtained the data. CP and CH analyzed the data, interpreted the results, and wrote the manuscript together.

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Correspondence to Chiun-Ho Hou.

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Pu, C., Hou, CH. Ophthalmic health care needs of children with disabilities. Eye 38, 481–487 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02707-5

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