The purpose of this study was to estimate the overall rate of eye-care visits among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The National Claims History File (Physician supplier Part B) was used for this analysis; claims between 1992 and 1993 were included.

Overall, the rate of eye-care in this population was low, as only 53% of the beneficiaries with diabetes had an eye care visit. Gender and race were associated with eye-care visits in this elderly diabetic population: women were 20% more likely to have eye-care visits than were men, and blacks were 30% less likely to have eye-care visits than whites. Older age was associated with eye-care visits. Residence in poor, low educated, or non-metropolitan neighborhoods, and those with fewer ophthalmologists/optometrists were also less likely to have eye-care visits. These findings were the same for evaluations of a 1-year and a 2-year period.

In multivariate analysis, controlling for age, sex, neighborhood poverty and education levels, metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence, and number of ophthalmologists and optometrists, the odds of Black patients having an eye care visit was 0.70 that of whites (95% confidence interval = 0.67-0.72).

No explanations for the race finding were suggested.