JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With growing concerns of shortages in the ophthalmology workforce, Google Trends has become a valuable source of public interest data to better understand access to care in real time. In particular, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are two of the main conditions contributing to the demand for medical retina specialists.

Objective:

To characterize geographic patterns in internet search interest in AMD and DR relative to retina specialist supply across the United States.

Methods:

Relative Search Volume (RSV) data for AMD and DR were collected from Google Trends for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) from January 2004 through December 2023. Retina specialist counts were sourced from the American Academy of Ophthalmology directory. Retina Specialist Density (RSD) was calculated per 100,000 residents using 2023 Census data. A Relative Interest Index (RII), derived as the ratio of RSV to RSD and normalized from 0 to 1, was used to quantify the supply-interest relationship for each state and condition.

Results:

RSD varied over ten-fold nationally, ranging from 0.136 in Alaska to 1.620 in D.C.. Alaska recorded the maximum RII of 1.000 for both conditions. Outside of Alaska, the highest normalized RII values of search interest to specialist density for AMD were observed in North Dakota (0.362), Oklahoma (0.311), and Minnesota (0.305). For DR, the highest normalized RII values occurred in North Dakota (0.277), Minnesota (0.243), and West Virginia (0.237). D.C. had the lowest normalized RII for both conditions (0.000).

Conclusions:

Search interest relative to retina specialist supply varies across states. These descriptive findings identify regions for further assessment of retinal care access and workforce distribution; the index does not directly measure clinical demand or establish unmet need.