Access to ocular oncology care based on geographic distribution and population demographics

Abstract: PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the geographic distribution of ocular oncology ophthalmologists in the United States and detect correlations with the population’s demographic and socioeconomic indices. METHODS: The office addresses of ocular oncologists listed in the AAO databases were geocoded into a United States county using Esri ArcGIS Pro from July 2024 to August 2024. County population demographics and important factors affecting access to healthcare were collected using data from the 2018–2022 American Community Survey. The geographic distribution of ocular oncology specialists located in the United States was correlated to county-level population demographics. RESULTS: A total of 123 ocular oncologists were identified. There was an average of 0.37 ocular oncologists per million people in the United States. California had the most practicing ocular oncologists with 19 physicians (15.5%), followed by Texas with 13 (10.6%), and then Florida with 8 (6.5%). 3061 US counties (97.7%) did not have ocular oncologists, whereas 73 US counties (2.3%) had practicing ocular oncologists. Counties with ocular oncologists had significantly greater household incomes, educational attainment rates, and access to Internet and computer as well as a lower poverty rate, compared to counties without ocular oncologists ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The limited number of ocular oncologists, specifically in rural and low socioeconomic regions, results in significant barriers to care for complex ocular oncology pathologies for underserved populations.