Keeping an Eye on Gender Equality

by Andrew Sweeney

According to the global management consultancy group McKinsey & Company, business in 2023 will be characterized by an increased drive towards diversity efforts, particularly aimed at women. Spending on initiatives related to these efforts has reached $7.5 billion over the last two years and that figure is expected to double by 2025.

It’s big business, to put it bluntly — and not just in the corporate world. Medicine is nearly as much of a business as consulting and finance, and efforts to include more women at the senior level of ophthalmology, especially in developing countries where they are significantly less represented, will be a feature of the next 12 months. 1

That being the case, it’s important that we understand the current representation of women in ophthalmology generally, and in some of its sub-specialties specifically, like glaucoma. For this question, we’re fortunate to have a study to examine this, namely Gender Shift Among Academic Glaucoma Specialists in the Past 30 Years, published in 2020 by a group of researchers based at the University of California, Irvine.2 Their paper makes for simultaneously heartening and disheartening reading about the position of women specializing in glaucoma.

For example, the study found that there is a high representation of women specializing in glaucoma at 40% of the surveyed population in the study, and there were more women than men among those glaucoma specialists who were board-certified within the past five years across the United States. However, it also highlighted an association between gender and academic rank, with the majority of professors in the field being male. Therefore, there’s been great progress but more needs to be done.

Studies are crucial to understanding the broader picture, but it’s equally important to get a picture “from the trenches.” So we spoke with Dr. Ruth D. Williams, a glaucoma specialist and president of the Wheaton Eye Clinic located near Chicago, Illinois. Recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology with the Senior Achievement Award and a recipient of the prestigious Chicagobased “Top Doctors” award, Dr. Williams is passionate about her work as an ophthalmologist generally, and the field of glaucoma specifically.

“One of the best aspects of being an ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist is that I get to spend time with such remarkable humans, both male and female. We continue to be shaped by the people we spend a lot of time with, and we spend a lot of time with our colleagues. I’m a better person and a better clinician through the influence of my peers,” shared Dr. Williams.

“I have more in common with my glaucoma specialist friends in another state than with my next-door neighbor, who might not understand why I have to plan three months ahead to get together. It’s an exciting time to be in this field as I predict that the biggest advancements in understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases will happen in the glaucoma space,” she said.

Dr. Williams was happy to share that more women are present in the ophthalmology profession, while noting that there’s still room for progress. She said that she had noticed a slight drop in the number of women joining the field generally, however, she said that this could be attributed to more of the women who do join entering more specific sub-specialties. She believes that adopting a more proactive approach to attracting women to ocular health may resolve this issue. specificity of its work. Of course, her greatest passion lies in her chosen field.

“Glaucoma is the best specialty. More than just about any specialty, it has very well-defined goals as our patients highly value their vision and most of what we do enhances quality of life. This is why ophthalmologists tend to be optimistic, energetic and happy people,” continued Dr. Williams.

“What we do brings tangible quality of life to our patients, and our work is meaningful and definable. We have choices that can include a lovely mix of surgery, clinic, research, writing, speaking, leadership, activities, business and finance. There is flexibility in ophthalmology and glaucoma,” she said.

— Dr. Ruth D.

The American Glaucoma Society (AGS) is one of the country’s major ophthalmologic institutions, and Dr. Williams reports that it has achieved a great deal in propelling women to the front stage. The society has over 400 members, including some of American ophthalmology’s leading figures, many of them female trailblazers in their own right. For Dr. Williams, the AGS’s support is as much practical as it is inspirational.

“AGS has done a fabulous job in getting women on the podium and thanks to the society’s leadership, it’s been simple to recommend one’s friends for panels, speakers and awards. Diversifying leadership positions often naturally diversifies everything else,” shared Dr. Williams.

“Diversity, of course, means a lot of things and gender is just one of them. Most of us are good communicators, good speakers, and talented leaders — we’ve had to be — and our organizations will be better if women are included in leadership,” she added.

Dr. Williams’ positivity about the future of her profession is infectious, and she’s keen to encourage other women to join. She points to the transformative power of ophthalmology: How it can astound patients with the beneficial effects clinicians can provide, and the

“We are the luckiest people in the world,” she concluded.

1. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023. McKinsey & Company. Published on Jan. 23, 2023. Available at https://www. mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversityand-inclusion/diversity-equity-and-inclusionlighthouses-2023. Accessed on Jan. 20, 2023.

2. Mohammadi SO, Afzali K, Gharaei N, Khodadoustan P, Lin K. Gender shift among academic glaucoma specialists in the past 30 years. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(7):5111.

Dr. Ruth D. Williams is a specialist in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma. She received a BS in biology from Wheaton College and her MD from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Following an internship at West Suburban Hospital Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, Dr. Williams completed her residency in ophthalmology at California Pacific Medical Center and a fellowship in glaucoma at the University of California in San Francisco. She is the president of Wheaton Eye Clinic, residentelect of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and a national spokesperson on ophthalmic issues.

ruthwilliams@wheatoneye.com