New review finds refractive error coverage lower in women than men
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Mavi et al. synthesized population-based data from 18 countries to report on sex-disaggregated refractive error coverage across adults and children.
Key Findings:
- Among 91,487 adults and 790,145 children examined across 43 studies, 36.7% of adults and 2.9% of children had refractive needs requiring correction.
- Overall, women were 14% less likely to access refractive correction. When looking only at adults, the disparity was 15% and statistically significant; among children, no significant sex difference was observed.
- The largest disparity was observed among urban women, who were 30% less likely than urban men to receive correction. No significant sex difference was found in rural settings.
- Regionally, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania super-region showed the largest disparity, with women being 25% less likely to access services.
Reference: Mavi S, Whitestone N, Chan VF, et al. Global Gender Disparities in Access to Refractive Error Services: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ophthalmology. 2026;133(2):257-277.
