Community-Based Eye Health Screening Study in the Elderly Hispanic Population in North Texas.

Abstract

The Hispanic population is underserved and underrepresented in health care. Epidemiological studies are cmcial for providing insight to identify disparities and unmet eye health needs in this vulnerable group. The purpose of our study is to examine the prevalence of ocular conditions in the elderly Hispanic population in North Texas and identify the frequency in which these conditions were undiagnosed. This study was ancillary to the Health and Aging Brain study among Latino Elders (HABLE). Seventy-three HABLE participants (aged > 50 years) underwent neuropsychological evaluation and an eye health screening at the University of North Texas Health Science Center study site. Descriptive analyses were performed for prevalence of ocular conditions, as well as a comparison of self-reported conditions and ocular Endings. Our results suggest the prevalence patterns for undetected ocular disease in the Hispanic population of North Texas are comparable with the epidemiological trends for this population group in other concentrated areas in the United States.