Weighted Average Cost Savings for Ambulatory Optometry Visits vs ED Visits for Common, Nonemergent Eye Conditions
| Eye Condition | Incident Rate, % | Mean Cost Differential Between ED and Optometry Visit, $ | Weighted Cost Savings, $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conjunctivitis | 41.05 | 699.50 | 287.12 |
| Corneal injury without foreign body | 10.78 | 1,488.00 | 160.35 |
| Corneal injury with foreign body | 9.03 | 1,583.50 | 143.04 |
| Eye pain | 8.08 | 653.00 | 52.78 |
| Hordeolum | 7.13 | 699.50 | 49.89 |
| Other: noninjurya | 23.93 | 699.50 | 167.39 |
ED = emergency department.
↵a May include, for example, visual disturbances, flashes, floaters, ocular migraine, and convergence issues.
Notes: Calculations based on data from Vaziri et al,6 Channa et al,7 and Stagg et al.8 Weighted average cost savings per incident: $860.57.