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Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD
TACKLING DISPARITIES IN GLAUCOMA AND IN HEALTHCARE By Rebecca Salowe
Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD, Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the Scheie Eye Institute, was recently featured in an in-depth article about healthcare disparities in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeNet magazine. In this article, Dr. Miller discusses how racial disparities play out in the care of glaucoma patients and provides insight into how to overcome these barriers.
A SILENT DISEASE Glaucoma is a blinding eye disease that disproportionately affects individuals of African descent. African ancestry individuals are five to six times more likely to be affected by primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the most common form of the disease, and up to 15 times more likely to experience vision loss from the disease than European Americans. Furthermore, glaucoma is a familial disease, so vision loss early in life can affect multiple family members, possibly leading to adverse economic and health outcomes in these individuals.
Dr. Miller became interested in pursuing glaucoma as a specialty almost three decades ago. Not only does glaucoma run in her family, but she also noticed repeatedly that certain glaucoma patients were falling through the cracks of the healthcare system. Early care is critical for glaucoma patients, as vision loss from the disease cannot be reversed with current treatments. “Glaucoma is the number one cause of preventable blindness, disproportionately affecting individuals of African descent—and glaucoma runs in my family,” said Dr.
