Trends in utilization of imaging among ophthalmic-related emergency department visits in the United States
Advanced imaging use during eye-related ED visits increased from 2016 to 2022 with a shift toward greater MRI utilization and stable CT usage. Demographic factors and the COVID-19 pandemic potentially contributed to these trends and observed racial disparities highlight potential systemic barriers to imaging access. Despite limitations related to hospital representation and data scope, these findings emphasize the need for further research to explore drivers of imaging use and address healthcare inequities.
Authors
- Peter W. MacIntosh
- Serena Shah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0981-7792)
- Meghana Kalavar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0872-6095)
- Brandon Chou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5025-2976)
- Jayanth Sridhar
- Andrew G. Lee
Institutions
- Texas A&M Health Science Center (US)
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (US)
- University of Miami (US)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Methodist Hospital (US)
- Olive View-UCLA Medical Center (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Ophthalmology
- Published
- 2026-01-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fopht.2025.1706213
- Primary Topic
- Retinal and Optic Conditions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Research to Prevent Blindness
- National Institutes of Health