Access to Pediatric Optometry in Colombia: A Narrative Review from the Social Determinants of Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71413/9f9gsy39Keywords:
Social Determinants of Health, Pediatric Optometry, Access to Health Services, Health EquityAbstract
Relevance: Access to pediatric optometry in Colombia is shaped by structural social determinants that disproportionately affect children from low-income families, rural communities, and historically marginalized populations. Delayed diagnosis of refractive errors and amblyopia perpetuates cycles of educational and social inequity.
Abstract: In Colombia and Latin America, timely access to pediatric optometry is constrained by structural and intermediate social determinants that disproportionately affect children from low-income families, rural areas, and historically marginalized groups. Based on the Dahlgren and Whitehead model, this review examines the factors limiting such access, including family socioeconomic position, rurality, gaps within the General System of Social Security in Health, cultural barriers to recognizing visual health risks, and the shortage of optometrists with specialized training in pediatric care. The impact of Law 372 of 1997 in Colombia and the consequences of delayed diagnosis of refractive errors and amblyopia on academic performance and cycles of inequity are also examined. Pediatric optometrists emerge as key agents of health equity, with the capacity to disrupt the link between visual impairment, educational disadvantage, and social exclusion.
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