Sociodemographic and Economic Factors in Outcomes of Tube Shunts for Neovascular Glaucoma.

Importance Few studies have analyzed associations between sociodemographic factors and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) outcomes. Aim and background To determine the potential impact of sociodemographic and economic factors on the NVG tube shunt surgery outcomes. Design Retrospective, single-center, comparative case series. Participants Consecutive patients who underwent tube shunt surgery for NVG and had ≥6 months of follow-up. Materials and methods Regional average adjusted gross income (AGI) was determined by cross-referencing self-reported residential zip codes with average AGI per zip code supplied by the Internal Revenue Service. Two groups were created: (1) lower-income: individuals from neighborhoods with the lowest 10% of AGI (near the United States poverty line), (2) higher-income: the remaining 90% of individuals. Main outcome measures Visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and glaucoma medication number at 6 months and the most recent visit. Results The mean annual AGI in the higher-income group (130 patients) was $69,596 ± 39,700 and the lower-income group (16 patients) was $27,487 ± 1,600 (p < 0.001). Age, sex, distance to the clinic, language, and all baseline clinical variables (including VA and IOP) were comparable between groups. Lower-income was associated with non-white race (81.3 vs 52.3%; p = 0.024). At month 6, VA in the lower-income group [median: HM (20/70-NLP)] was worse than the higher-income group [median: CF (20/25-NLP)] (log MAR VA: 2.32 ± 0.8 vs 1.77 ± 1.1; p = 0.02); these trends persisted through the most recent visit (p = 0.043). Follow-up IOP and medications were similar between groups. Conclusions and relevance Lower-income may be associated with worse VA outcomes following NVG tube shunt surgery. How to cite this article Shalaby WS, Arbabi A, Myers JS, et al. Sociodemographic and Economic Factors in Outcomes of Tube Shunts for Neovascular Glaucoma. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2021;15(2):70-77.