Rural people 5 times likelier than urbanites to be treated for eye injuries in ERs; let's ask why

"Rural Americans were five times more likely than urban residents to be treated in emergency departments for eye injuries in 2008," reports Medical News Today, citing a report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Neither source offered a possible reason for this phenomenon, but that's an open invitation for rural reporters to ask emergency-room doctors and nurses about it. When you find out, let us know and we'll tell the world.

UPDATE: AHRQ data show that rural Americans use emergency rooms at a rate 39 percent higher than urban Americans, but that accounts for only part of the disparity in eye treatment.

Rural health centers often lack eye-care services

Add limited access to eye-care services to the list of rural health issues, says an analysis from George Washington University. The article from Ophthamology Times, “Assessing the Need for On-Site Eye Care Professionals,” says GWU found community health centers across the country are severely lagging in their access to comprehensive eye exams for rural and low-income populations.

Federally funded community health centers have improved some situations, but GWU reports that 70 percent of those centers do not offer on-site vision care services. The American Optometric Association is beginning to pay more attention to the disparity and has been working to expand access to eye-care through community health centers. The analysis listed several key barriers to providing on-site eye-care, including inability to afford space and equipment and difficulties with Medicare and Medicaid coverage and reimbursement. Read more here.