Doctor Visits Are Getting Short Shrift in Tight Economy

Oct. 1 -- WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Because of recession-related financial problems, 36 percent of Americans have cut back on doctor visits, according to a new survey.

When asked which types of health visits they were reducing, 63 percent of the 1,000 adult respondents cited visits to a dentist, 59 percent said primary care physician visits and 52 percent said eye doctor appointments.

Just 8 percent said they were adhering to their regular health-care schedule.

The survey, by the American Optometric Association, also found that Hispanics were most likely to reduce health-care visits because of the poor economy. Almost half (49 percent) of Hispanic respondents said they're visiting doctors less often, compared with 36 percent of blacks and 33 percent of whites. Dental visits are being limited by 63 percent of Hispanics, and 53 percent are seeing an eye doctor less often, the survey found.

"Since Hispanics are at a greater risk for developing eye diseases such as glaucoma, it's important for them to see an eye doctor regularly," David Cockrell, an optometrist and an association trustee, said in a news release from the group. "Glaucoma cannot be prevented, but if diagnosed and treated early, it can be controlled to prevent or slow continued vision loss."

The survey also identified gender differences, with 38 percent of women and 32 percent of men saying they're limiting doctor visits. It found that women were a bit more likely than men to reduce eye doctor visits (53 to 51 percent), even though more women (52 percent) wear glasses or contact lenses than men (48 percent). Women are also more likely to have dry eye, according to the survey.

Almost two-thirds of respondents who live in rural areas said they were reducing eye doctor visits, compared with half of urban and suburban respondents.

The survey findings "are very worrisome," Cockrell said. "We know that many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms, so early diagnosis and treatment are critical. This is true beyond just eye care. Health issues of any kind are not things that Americans should ignore."