Physician attitudes, opinions, and preferred sources of information about vision and eye health: Results of a web-based survey

Objective: To measure physician attitudes and opinions regarding eye health and to better understand facts regarding patient information and counseling concerning eye health and disease. Method: A web-based survey of primary care physicians and pediatricians about physician perceptions and attitudes concerning communication with patients. The National Eye Institute added questions to the 2007 DocStyles Survey to better understand physician attitudes about eye health. A total of 1,500 primary care physicians responded to the survey. Results: Results indicated that physicians have favorable attitudes regarding eye health and the role they should play in talking with patients about eye health. However, there appears to be room for improvement among physicians with regard to advising patients about eye health and their confidence in identifying patients at higher risk for eye disease. Just 51% of physicians agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that, “I have adequate knowledge to advise my patients on vision health,” and 58% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I can identify patients at higher risk for eye disease.” Regarding information sources, most physicians preferred to obtain information about vision and eye health from professional journals, medical websites, and CMEs. Conclusions/Implications: Findings from this research reveal an opportunity with regard to increasing physician confidence in identifying patients at higher risk for eye disease and advising their patients on eye health. Additional physician training may be needed.