Assessment of Missing Data on Glaucoma Severity Among Participants in the NIH All of Us Research Program of the United States

There were significant differences between glaucoma participants with glaucoma severity stage specified versus those with unstaged disease across multiple socioeconomic characteristics and self-reported barriers to care. Glaucoma severity staging data was not missing completely at random. The unstaged cohort included higher rates of multiple underrepresented communities, which may potentially contribute to bias in ophthalmology research as participants from vulnerable populations may be disproportionately excluded from electronic health records or claims data studies where diagnosis codes with severity/staging levels are used to examine risk factors for disease, progression, and treatment efficacy.