In agreement with other studies, we also found that the greater likelihood of seeking eye care was associated with higher levels of education [ 2, 4, 13, 14].
27 Since one of the top two reasons for individuals not seeking eye care is perceived absence of need, possible solutions to inadequate eye care utilisation may include public health interventions aimed at heightening awareness.
It could be expected that people with greater economic means or greater educational levels might be much more aggressive in seeking out eye care and some of them might even be seeking eye cares outside their area.
24 In fact, the 2006 2009 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys by the CDC reported that eye care costs and lack of insurance (39.8%) or absence of need (34.6%) were the most common reasons given for not seeking eye care.
Since aging is associated with an increased rate of visual impairment and ophthalmic conditions, a considerable percentage of people are motivated to seek eye care by the factor of need.
However, within Group B (the steering group of the local dementia network), one member remained silent (nurse), and the other participants often sought eye contact with the leader of the steering group when they contributed.
The elderly (≥60 years of age) were not only more likely to seek eye care, but also the percentage of those who received an eye examination increased throughout the period.
Although regular comprehensive eye examinations are essential for prevention and timely treatment of eye disease to maintain ocular health, a previous study has shown that substantial percentages of persons do not seek eye care services, despite having visual impairment [ 2].
The DEWS reported that dry eye is one of the most prevalent eye diseases and a main reason to seek eye care in patients with advanced age [2].
The relationship we found between gender and history of eye care visits coincides with other studies that showed women are more likely to seek eye care [ 3, 4, 14].
