Unmet need for eyeglasses: results from the 1994 Robert Wood Johnson Access to Care Survey.

Background: Although poor access to general medical care services has been documented widely, the unmet need for supplemental health care services--such as eyeglasses--has been largely ignored. This article documents the inability to obtain eyeglasses on the national level and for various subpopulations using the 1994 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Access to Care Survey.

Methods: The Survey, a followup to the 1993 National Health Interview Survey, collected data on respondents' inability to obtain health care services due to access barriers. The sample comprised 3,480 observations, weighted to represent the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population.

Results: More than 5% of the U.S. population reported an unmet need for eyeglasses, and of these, more than 80% cited financial reasons as the primary barrier. Persons in poor health and blacks were most likely to face barriers to obtaining eyeglasses.

Conclusion: Understanding this under-served population and their unmet needs can help policymakers formulate new initiatives. The focus on preventive care within managed care organizations may ease some barriers for the insured population. Policy should focus on uninsured and underinsured working individuals who cannot afford and do not receive public assistance for needed eye care.