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  • National Survey of Physician Assistants in Ophthalmology

    By Lynda Seminara
    Selected By: Richard K. Parrish II, MD
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    Journal Highlights

    American Journal of Ophthalmology, September 2020

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    Lee et al. surveyed ophthalmic physi­cian assistants (PAs) to define the scope of their practice and training and to gauge interest in further training and involvement. They found that most respondents want more training in vision and ocular care, hope to continue their career in eye care, and would like to join a specialty organization for PAs in ophthalmology.

    The survey was developed by the Wilmer Eye Institute and the Ameri­can Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and included 53 questions. It was administered to PAs listed in the AAPA database as working in ophthal­mology. Participation was optional, and responses were anonymous.

    Of the 94 listed PAs, 47 (50%) participated in the study. Their average time as a PA in ophthalmology was 9.8 years. About 60% had no previous experience in vision and ocular health before becoming a PA. Nearly 80% provide their primary clinical duties independently. The responsibilities of 65% of respondents also include assisting with ophthalmic surgery and procedures such as intravitreal injec­tion and chalazion drainage. Less than 25% perform intravitreal injections on their own. Only two PAs had done Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy, and none had performed laser iridotomy, laser trabeculoplasty, or panretinal photoco­agulation.

    The majority of respondents report­ed high satisfaction with their career as a PA in ophthalmology (extremely satisfied, 77.5%; moderately satisfied, 12.5%). Most participants expressed interest in further training in vision and ocular care (69%), in continuing to serve in ophthalmology (87.5%), and in joining a specialty organization for PAs in eye care (88.1%).

    According to the AAPA, more than 123,000 PAs practice throughout medi­cine in the United States. The relatively low percentage of PAs in ophthalmol­ogy is likely multifactorial and may include regional restrictions on duties and insufficient exposure to the field during schooling, the authors said. They believe that formal PA postgrad­uate programs in ophthalmology may boost interest in the field and expand the pool of PAs who are qualified to work in eye care.

    The original article can be found here.