Supply of Ophthalmologists

Over the past several years, conflicting data have been presented with regard to the supply of ophthalmologists in the United States. Most recent data suggest that we are experiencing or will experience an overall shortage of ophthalmologists. The ability to address this undersupply may not be adequate. As shown in Figure 7, the number of ophthalmology residency positions in the United States has been in the 450 range over the past 13 years. Even an immediate 20% increase in the number of ophthalmology residency positions would increase the number of US trained ophthalmologists by only 10% by the year 2026 (personal communication, David W. Parke II, MD).

As shown in Figure 8, the number of glaucoma fellowship positions in the United States has been relatively stable since 1996. Formal studies of supply needs in the subspecialty of glaucoma have not been undertaken. However, based on demographic trends cited earlier, many leaders in the glaucoma community believe that an increasing number of glaucoma subspecialists will be needed to meet future clinical demand.