Abstract
Purpose :
It is unknown how eyecare professionals take care of their own eye health. This study aims to evaluate the presence of eye diseases and the frequency of eye examinations among eyecare professionals.
Methods :
In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous questionnaire survey was distributed among eyecare professionals. The following parameters were evaluated in the survey: demographics, family history, medical and surgical history, refractive error, known eye diseases, previous ocular procedures, and previous eye examinations.
Results :
98 eyecare professionals responded which included 50 ophthalmic technicians, 27 ophthalmologists, 7 ophthalmology residents, 6 optometrists, and 8 ophthalmology clinic administrative staff. These included 36 men and 59 women; 3 preferred not to disclose their sex. The mean age was 41.9 ± 12.2 years (range, 21-75 years). Among these, 7.1% had diabetes. Family history was positive for glaucoma in 22.4%, age-related macular degeneration in 14.3%, and retinal detachment in 4.1%. 25 respondents (25.5%) had previous ocular surgery, including refractive surgery (22.4%), retinal laser surgery (2.0%), and cataract surgery (1.0%). Refractive error in the participants included myopia in 61.2%, hyperopia in 13.3%, and astigmatism in 33.7%. These eyecare professionals were known to have dry eye disease (36.7%), cataract (5.1%), amblyopia (3.1%), strabismus (2.0%), diabetic retinopathy (1.0%), and Fuchs’ corneal dystrophy (1.0%). Participants’ most recent eye exam was within the past 6 months in 16.3%, 6 to 11 months in 25.5%, 1 year in 14.3%, 2 years in 15.3%, or 3 to 5 years in 14.3%. The last eye exam was over five years ago in 11.2%; 4.1% never had any eye exam before. The average number of eye examinations obtained in the past year was 0.7±0.72. In the past five years, the participants had an average of 2.4±2.0 eye examinations and 6.7±9.4 non-ophthalmic medical examinations.
Conclusions :
A significant percentage of eyecare professionals studied had personal or family history of eye diseases, especially dry eye disease and glaucoma, respectively. However, almost half of the participants did not have an eye exam in the past year. Eyecare professionals need to be reminded of the maintenance of their own eye health.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.