Adults with autism spectrum disorder had more than twice the odds of any ocular condition.
Ophthalmic Disease Burden in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Surya V Pulukuri … Isdin Oke
American journal of ophthalmology · 2026
Purpose
To compare the documented prevalence of common treatable ocular conditions among US adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (autism spectrum disorder) in a large, socioeconomically diverse cohort.
Methods
Adults aged 18 years or older in the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program database, version 8, with electronic health record data.
n = 1050 adults
Results
having autism roughly doubled the odds of any diagnosed eye problem
OR by subgroup · 95% CI
More results
Among 5250 matched participants, 1050 adults had autism spectrum disorder and 4200 were controls; the cohort had a mean age of 39.1 years and was 49.3% male.
Associations were similar from unadjusted through fully adjusted models.
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Conclusion · 1 of 2
Adults with autism spectrum disorder had higher documented prevalence and odds of multiple treatable ocular conditions when compared to matched adults without autism spectrum disorder.
Conclusion · 2 of 2
Greater attention should be directed toward autism-informed adult eye care, including proactive screening, sensory and communication accommodations, and coordinated follow-up to support timely identification and management of ocular diseases in this population.