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Background: Workforce diversity in healthcare has been shown to improve the quality of patient care. A paucity of data exists globally on this subject in ophthalmology. The purpose of this study was to analyze nationwide trends in gender-, ethnic- and country of graduation disparities among ophthalmologists in Israel. Methods: Cross-sectional, workforce-based study using data retrieved from the Israeli Ministry of Health. Data included gender, ethnicity, and medical graduation country. Proportions and trends among new residents and board-certified ophthalmologists (BCO) were assessed. Results: During 2006–2021, 18,624 medical licenses were issued (41.7% Israeli Medical Graduates (IsrMGs), 42.2% female), average yearly increase (AYI) was 6.9%, females and IsrMGs had an average yearly decrease of 1% and 0.53%, respectively. 561 physicians began ophthalmology residency (57.5% male, 75% Jewish, 69.9% IsrMGs), reflecting a 6.2% total AYI, but 8.1% and 4.8% for female versus male residents, respectively. There were fewer female residents despite population and graduate pool adjustments (p = 0.002 and p = 0.002, respectively), but differences disappeared after 2015 (p = 0.52). Arab and Jewish residents AYIs were 6.4% and 5.7% respectively, with ethnic differences elucidated by adjusting for population sizes (p = 0.097). BCO densities in 2006 and 2021 were 7.5 and 9.06, respectively, with a 1.3% AYI (p < 0.001). Proportions of female and Arab BCO were lower than expected based on population proportions. (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Gender-differences remained after adjusting for population sizes (p < 0.001), but AYIs for female and male BCO were 1.38% and 1.15%, respectively. AYIs for Arab and Jewish BCO were 12% and 0.61%, respectively. Conclusions: Jewish and male dominance was seen among Israeli BCOs and was unrelated to population size or graduate distribution. Among new ophthalmology residents, Arab representation was adequate to their population proportion. In early years, male predominance was noted, however this disparity was no longer evident after 2015. These trends are encouraging, and efforts should be made to ensure the field remains inclusive and representative of the broader population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To better understand and analyze various aspects of scientific publication, bibliometric data analysis is useful., Objectives: An analysis of the factors associated with shorter publication times in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus (POS) between the years 2002 and 2007, compared to 2014 and 2018., Methods: In this retrospective bibliometric analysis, we analyzed 2,487 articles related to POS from the official websites of 8 preselected ophthalmology journals. Time from submission to acceptance, from acceptance to publication, and from submission to publication were calculated for each article., Results: Median peer review durations were 156 days from submission to acceptance; 79 days from acceptance to publication, and 244 days from submission to publication. Journals such as the American Journal of Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, and Strabismus reported the shortest time from submission to publication. Annually, all time intervals decreased, but in the first decade, the decline was significantly greater. The time between submission and acceptance of female senior authors increased during the first decade; however, this disappeared during the second decade., Conclusions: There was an improvement in most journals and the gender gap in senior authorship decreased with time., Discussion: Since digital technology has rapidly developed over the past two decades, authors have been able to communicate with editorial and production teams more quickly and efficiently. Journal names and the gender of the last author are the main factors affecting publication times.

Purpose: This study sought to describe the phenotype frequency and genetic basis of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) among a nationwide cohort of Israeli Jewish patients of Ethiopian ancestry., Methods: Patients' data-including demographic, clinical, and genetic information-were obtained through members of the Israeli Inherited Retinal Disease Consortium (IIRDC). Genetic analysis was performed by either Sanger sequencing for founder mutations or next-generation sequencing (targeted next-generation sequencing or whole-exome sequencing)., Results: Forty-two patients (58% female) from 36 families were included, and their ages ranged from one year to 82 years. Their most common phenotypes were Stargardt disease (36%) and nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa (33%), while their most common mode of inheritance was autosomal recessive inheritance. Genetic diagnoses were ascertained for 72% of genetically analyzed patients. The most frequent gene involved was ABCA4 . Overall, 16 distinct IRD mutations were identified, nine of which are novel. One of them, ABCA4 -c.6077delT, is likely a founder mutation among the studied population., Conclusions: This study is the first to describe IRDs' phenotypic and molecular characteristics in the Ethiopian Jewish community. Most of the identified variants are rare. Our findings can help caregivers with clinical and molecular diagnosis and, we hope, enable adequate therapy in the near future., (Copyright © 2023 Molecular Vision.)