Where are the Women in Vision Sciences?

From the Founder’s Desk

Dr. Abhishek Mandal

Founder & CEO, Vision Science Academy, U.K.

International Women’s Day 2023!

The field of Vision Sciences is evolving as rapidly as other professions belonging to the diversified world of Medicine. Modern diagnostic and therapeutic modalities have led to a significant expansion of vision sciences including Optometry. Subsequently, a plethora of career opportunities have evolved which can be pursued by young minds in the field of vision sciences.

Despite the consistent evolution in the field of vision sciences, it is potentially concerning that the proportion of young male and female professionals within this scientific community is mostly unequal. Moreover, the active participation of male and female optometrists in careers pertinent to scientific research is also disproportionate. One study which assessed the gender distribution of the dropout rates of predoctoral candidates from Vision Sciences depicted a significantly higher number of female trainees opting out of their careers (Cooper & Radonjić, 2016). A much comparable scenario is prevailing in the field of Ophthalmology since the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reports that upto 69% Eye Consultants in the UK are males (Workforce Census 2018). The expert opinion highlights the potentially drastic outcomes of gender inequality which could mean that the field of vision sciences could risk an eventual loss of skillful and energetic young women. This in turn, can potentiate a negative impact on the overall economic development, career progression, and diversity in this profession.

The causes which underlie the gender disparity of the candidates pursuing vision sciences have been actively discussed and debated by multiple think tanks. The Vision Science Academy, being an educational platform for the vision science professionals of the future, aims to discuss the positive role of women in Optometry and related careers. For this purpose, we shall be organising an event on the 8^th of March 2023 i.e., International Women’s Day, the theme of which is #EmbraceEquity. The online event will take place at the Vision Science Talks Platform, hosted on Zoom, and LIVE on YouTube.

On this occasion, four distinguished international speakers will reflect the contribution of women in Vision Sciences. The main purpose of this discussion would be to highlight the current scenario encompassing gender bias in the field of Vision Sciences and how can we overcome this disparity as eye care professionals. All of our members are encouraged to join the discussion and offer their valuable opinion as to how we can promote the participation of women in vision sciences.

References

Cooper, E. A., & Radonjić, A. (2016). Gender representation in the vision sciences: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vision,       16(1), 17-17. https://doi.org/10.1167/16.1.17

Workforce Census 2018.  The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. https://www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/RCOphth-Workforce-Census-2018.pdf