Academic Journal
Impact of Patient Race on Cataract Surgery Outcomes in a Safety Net Academic Medical Center.
| Title: | Impact of Patient Race on Cataract Surgery Outcomes in a Safety Net Academic Medical Center. |
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| Authors: | Murphy A; University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH., Hetman Z; University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH., Ortiz A; University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH., White S; University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH., Song S; Statistics Consulting Center, Division of Statistics and Data Science, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH., Kelly L; University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH. |
| Source: | Ethnicity & disease [Ethn Dis] 2026 Jun 05; Vol. 36 (1), pp. 8-14. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 05 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Ethnicity & Disease, Inc Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9109034 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1945-0826 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1049510X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Ethn Dis Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: [Owings Mill, MD] : Ethnicity & Disease, Inc. Original Publication: [Atlanta, GA : International Society on Hypertension in Blacks], c1991- |
| MeSH Terms: | Black or African American*/statistics & numerical data , Cataract Extraction*/statistics & numerical data , Refractive Errors*/epidemiology , White*/statistics & numerical data , Visual Acuity*, Academic Medical Centers/statistics & numerical data ; Safety-net Providers/statistics & numerical data ; Ohio/epidemiology ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Socioeconomic Disparities in Health ; Treatment Outcome |
| Abstract: | Objective: Investigate the impact of race and specific social determinants of health, including income and insurance status, on visual acuity outcomes for cataract surgery in a Midwest safety net academic medical center. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: University of Cincinnati Eye Clinic, a safety net academic medical center. Patients or Participants: Records of first-time unilateral cataract surgeries performed between January 2015 and August 2020 were analyzed, with comparisons between Black and White patients. Methods: Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, t tests, analysis of variance, and linear regression models, with a significance threshold of α=.05. Main Outcome Measures: Postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), postoperative refractive error (cylinder and sphere), and prevalence of comorbid conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Results: Black patients had lower median incomes (P=.0001), worse postoperative UCVA (P=.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .016, .147), higher postoperative cylinder (P=.003, 95% CI: .092, .454), more myopic postoperative sphere (P=.017, 95% CI: -.829, -.083), and higher rates of glaucoma (P=.001) and diabetic retinopathy (P=.001). Adjusting for confounders, race was not independently associated with postoperative UCVA (P=.342). Conclusions: Although Black patients demonstrated worse postoperative UCVA, these disparities were linked to comorbidities and social determinants of health rather than race itself. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing nonracial determinants for improving visual acuity outcomes. |
| Competing Interests: | Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or non-financial, that could be perceived as influencing the work reported in this manuscript. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Cataract Extraction; Health Disparities; Race Factors; Safety-Net Providers; Socioeconomic Factors; Visual Acuity |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260608 Date Completed: 20260613 Latest Revision: 20260625 |
| Update Code: | 20260626 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13241240 |
| DOI: | 10.18865/EthnDis-2025-11 |
| PMID: | 42253517 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1945-0826 |
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| DOI: | 10.18865/EthnDis-2025-11 |