Only about 10 percent of counties in the U.S. have a pediatric ophthalmologist, according to a Jan. 26 report published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Researchers identified 1,056 pediatric ophthalmologists practicing in the U.S. in 2022. While researchers found that the four most populous states — California, New York, Florida and Texas — had the most pediatric ophthalmologists, four U.S. states do not have a single pediatric ophthalmologist.
Of 3,142 U.S. counties, 2,828, or 90 percent, do not have a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Counties with at least one pediatric ophthalmologist had a higher median household income by $16,966.97 than counties with no pediatric ophthalmologists.