ArticleOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2026
Equity in Uptake of NHS and Private Optometry Services in Wales by Age and Gender.
Article in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAge and gender are fundamental social determinants of health, shaping disease patterns, healthcare utilisation and outcomes. Older adults often face barriers such as reduced mobility, digital exclusion and fragmented care pathways, while gender affects health through biological and sociocultural mechanisms. Therefore, equitable uptake of primary eye care is shaped by these factors. This study examined age and gender-related disparities in the uptake of primary routine National Health Service (NHS) and private eye care in Wales.
methodsThis cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire to capture practice activity over a retrospective 2-week period. Data included practice details and the number, age and gender of patients attending NHS and private eye examinations. Descriptive statistics summarised attendance by age group and sex. Associations between gender and age group were examined using chi-squared tests, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and two-sample proportion z-tests.
resultsResponses were received from 289 contractors (83.3% of practices in Wales), recording 41,428 examinations. NHS and private funding accounted for 73.3% and 26.7% of the examinations, respectively. Females comprised 56.0% of NHS and 57.9% of private attendances. Utilisation was similar among those aged <18 and 19-59 years, while adults aged >60 years demonstrated substantially higher attendance. Female attendance predominated across most age groups.
conclusionSignificant age and gender-related disparities in the uptake of eye care were identified. Women were more likely to attend across most age groups, with male predominance only in the oldest cohorts. Utilisation was similar among those aged ≤18 and 19-59 years, with substantially higher attendance among adults aged 60 and over. These disparities cannot be explained solely by disease prevalence, suggesting broader determinants, including socioeconomic, geographic and cultural factors may play a role. Ensuring equitable uptake requires gender-sensitive approaches, routine collection of disaggregated data and regular review of NHS policy frameworks.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42313233What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.