Patient Characteristics Are Associated with Appointment "No-Show" at a Tertiary Academic Glaucoma Service: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Appointment "no-shows" (NS) are a significant issue for glaucoma patients, potentially leading to loss to follow-up, disease progression, and irreversible vision loss. This study investigates sociodemographic and clinical risk factors associated with NS at a tertiary academic eye center.

Methods: A retrospective review of 100 glaucoma patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Vision Institute over 1 year was conducted. Patients were categorized as NS if they missed any glaucoma service appointment and as never no-show (NNS) if no appointments were missed. Baseline demographic, medical, and ophthalmic data were collected. Socioeconomic disadvantage was measured using the area deprivation index (ADI) based on residential ZIP codes.

Results: Of 100 patients, 35 were classified as NS and 65 as NNS. NS patients had significantly higher ADI scores (79 vs. 65; = 0.03) and were more frequently Black (54% [19/35] vs. 26% [17/65]; = 0.01). Medical comorbidities were more common in NS patients (83% [29/35] vs. 48% [31/65]; < 0.001), as were mental health diagnoses (34% [12/35] vs. 8% [5/65]; < 0.001). Insurance type, glaucoma type, intraocular pressure, and visual acuity were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusion: Higher socioeconomic disadvantage, Black race, medical comorbidities, and mental health diagnoses were associated with appointment NS among glaucoma patients. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address these risk factors, improve follow-up adherence, and reduce the risk of disease progression.