Why Wealth, Not Need, Decides Who Sees the Eye Doctor in Iran

A systematic review published in BMC Public Health highlights a persistent gap in Iran between eye-care needs and the people who actually receive care. Led by Ehsan Zarei of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, with Mohammad Sadegh Nematollahi and ophthalmologist Nathan Congdon of Queen’s University Belfast, the study synthesizes decades of evidence using the Andersen Behavioral Model. Researchers searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Iran’s Magiran database for studies from January 2000 to May 2026, identifying 24 quantitative studies. Results suggest that money and geography can matter as much as clinical need, leaving people with the greatest vision problems less likely to reach ophthalmologists. Age and gender patterns also vary between preventive and follow-up care.