Current social determinants of health and social risk factors in conditions of the cornea: a scoping review

Abstract

Purpose of reviewTo achieve health equity in eye health and vision care, social determinants of health (SDoH) and the associated social risk factors must be addressed. To address SDoH and social risk factors in ophthalmology, they must first be identified. The purpose of this review was to determine the SDoH and social risk factors in conditions of the cornea that have most recently been explored. Recent findingsThis review identified social risk factors associated with all five domains of SDoH, as outlined by Healthy People 2030. The neighborhood and built environment was the domain identified the most for both exploration and observation. The social and community context domain was the least explored, and healthcare access and quality and social and community context domains were the least observed. The cornea condition explored the most in relation to SDoH was dry eye syndrome.

Place-Based Measures of Inequity and Vision Difficulty and Blindness

“…In contrast to literature on systemic health, the link between vision and the neighborhood and built environment warrants further investigation . There is early literature suggesting an association between neighborhood deprivation and vision health . Individuals from neighborhoods with high deprivation scores may be at increased risk of screening positive for glaucoma and present with worse best-corrected visual acuity when experiencing microbial keratitis .…”

“…10 There is early literature suggesting an association between neighborhood deprivation and vision health. [11][12][13][14] Individuals from neighborhoods with high deprivation scores may be at increased risk of screening positive for glaucoma and present with worse best-corrected visual acuity when experiencing microbial keratitis. 11,13 In the pediatric population, living in areas without green space and with low neighborhood opportunity is associated with worsening myopia and amblyopia.…”