It’s summertime and my wish for you is that you enjoy the season with family and friends.
For the 10th consecutive year, our July issue contains the results of Ophthalmic Professional’s Annual Salary Survey. We’ve found that many of the results remain consistent from year to year. However, what struck me are the ages of the respondents and the length of time they have worked in ophthalmology.
For example, the number of respondents aged 40 and younger represents only 20% of our workforce (see Figure), a decrease of 5% from our 2023 survey. And 23.3% have worked in the field for more than 20 years, an 8% increase over 2023. Ophthalmic assisting has always been a career path that flies under the radar, with many people finding it serendipitously and getting hooked, as evidenced by the longevity noted above. While many grassroots efforts are currently underway trying various methods to increase awareness, it behooves our organizations to market this career opportunity.
Dry eye and more
In this, our Dry Eye issue, we review both patient education for use of proper at-home treatments and in-office procedures.
You can find additional articles online at www.ophthlamicprofessional.com. For example, Eric Rosenberg, MD, details how artificial intelligence will impact ophthalmic staff, including its effect on patient flow and how it will augment and streamline a variety of processes.
As always, we encourage your feedback and suggestions for future issues. OP
