Access to Ophthalmologists in the U.S. Has Improved Over the Last Decade, Study Finds

A recent research letter published in JAMA Ophthalmology reveals that access to ophthalmologists in the United States has improved between 2014 and 2024. The study, led by Dr. Peter R. Kastl of Tulane University, analyzed data from the Doctors and Clinicians National Downloadable File (June 2014 and June 2024) to evaluate the travel distances patients must cover to reach an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

More Practice Locations, Better Access

The researchers observed a notable growth in the number of optometrists over the ten-year period. While the total number of ophthalmologists slightly declined, the number of ophthalmology practice locations increased significantly. This shift suggests that ophthalmologists are now distributed more broadly, practicing across a greater number of locations.

As a result, there has been a decrease in isolated optometrist practices, defined as those with no ophthalmologist in the same ZIP code. In 2024, only 18 such isolated practices were identified, all located in Hawaii and Alaska. Additionally, the mean distance from these isolated optometrist offices to the nearest ophthalmologist practice dropped from 12 miles in 2014 to 11 miles in 2024, reflecting improved accessibility.

Policy Implications for Scope of Practice Debates

The authors conclude that the data does not support the argument for expanding optometrists’ privileges based on the distance to ophthalmologists. “These findings may be of interest to state legislatures that are considering expansion of optometric scopes of practice based on distance to an optometric office or an ophthalmology office,” the study notes, adding a critical data-driven perspective to ongoing debates around scope-of-practice laws in eye care.

Reference:

Peter R. Kastl et al, Distribution of Ophthalmologists and Optometrists in the US, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.4495