Economic Burden of Non-Infectious Inflammatory Eye Disease (NIIED) in a Commercially-Insured Population in the United States

Purpose

To assess the economic burden of non-infectious inflammatory eyedisease (NIIED) in a commercially-insured population in the United States.

Methods

Adult patients with a NIIED diagnosis between 2006 and 2015 were selected from a de-identified, privately insured claims database and were matched 1:1 to a non-NIIED control. Ophthalmologic complications, direct healthcare resource use and costs, and indirect work loss (from the payer perspective) were calculated for a 12-month period and compared across the 2 cohorts.

Results

Among the 14 876 matched pairs, NIIED patients were significantly more likely than controls to experience ocular complications, including glaucoma and cataracts (p < 0.001). NIIED patients had significantly higher healthcare resource utilization and costs compared with matched controls (relative difference 40%, p < 0.001). NIIED patients missed 12.2 days of work ($2925 annual work-loss costs), 46% more than non-NIIED patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

NIIED imposes a significant clinical and economic burden, suggesting an unmet need for expanded access to alternative treatment options.