Where Have All the Pediatric Ophthalmologists Gone?—Pediatric Eye Care Scarcity and the Challenge of Creating Equitable Health Care Access

The current next available appointment for a child to be seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, is approximately 6 months. This is similar to most other regions in the US. How do we frame this substantial difficulty in accessing pediatric eye care in the US? Evaluating the current state of pediatric ophthalmology access provides the opportunity to systematically address barriers to care and health care disparities. Access to health care is a complex issue influenced by numerous patient, health care professional, and socioeconomic factors. Health care disparity researchers often highlight the patient perspective and the relationship between access to care, insurance coverage, and systemic racism and discrimination. It is also useful to consider eye care physician factors for a better understanding of the variables that contribute to the barriers in eye care access for children.