Gender Distribution and Trends of Ophthalmology Subspecialties, 1992-2020

& BULL; PURPOSE: To describe the gender trends in ophthalmol-ogy primary practice areas using the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) diplomates.& BULL; DESIGN: A trend study plus a cross-sectional study of the ABO's database.& BULL; METHODS: The de-identified records of all (N = 12,844) ABO-certified ophthalmologists between 1992 and 2020 were obtained. The year of certifica-tion, gender, and self-reported primary practice for each ophthalmologist was recorded. Subspecialty was defined as the self-reported primary practice emphasis. Practice trends of the entire population and the subpopulation of subspecialists were explored based on gender and were then visualized using tables and graphs and analyzed using the & chi; 2 or Fisher exact test.& BULL; RESULTS: A total of 12,844 board-certified ophthalmol-ogists were included. Nearly half (47%) reported a sub-specialty as their primary practice area (n = 6042), of whom the majority were male (65%, n = 3940). In the first decade, men outnumbered women reporting subspe-cialty practices by more than 2:1. Over time, the num-ber of women subspecialists increased whereas the num-ber of men remained stable, such that by 2020 women comprised almost half of new ABO diplomates reporting subspecialty practice. When all subspecialists were com-pared within gender, there was not a significant difference ( P = .15) between the percentage of male (46%) and female (48%) ophthalmologist reporting a subspecialty practice. However, a significantly greater proportion of women than men reported primary practice in pediatrics (20.1% vs 7.9%, P < .001) and glaucoma (21.8% vs 16.0%, P < .0001). Alternatively, a significantly greater proportion of men reported primary practice in vitreoreti-nal surgery (47.2% vs 22.0%, P < .0001). There was no significant difference between the proportion of men and women reporting cornea ( P = .15) or oculoplastics ( P = .31).& BULL; CONCLUSIONS: The number of women in ophthal-mology subspecialty practice has increased steadily over the past 30 years. Men and women subspecialize at the same rate, but significant differences exist between the types of ophthalmology practiced by each gender. (Am J Ophthalmol 2023;253: 22-28.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Automated summary

This study examines the gender trends in ophthalmology primary practice areas and finds that the number of women in ophthalmology subspecialty practice has steadily increased over the past 30 years. While men and women specialize at the same rate, there are significant differences in the types of ophthalmology practiced by each gender.