Practice strategy
AOA survey
Highlights: 2007 American Optometric Association New Technology Survey

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optm.2008.02.005Get rights and content

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Clinical uses of new technologies

The first part of the AOA New Technology Survey indicates the percentage of optometrists who owned a specific technology in a clinical setting at the time the survey was conducted. The automated perimeter (91.3%), autorefractor/autokeratometer (77.8%), and the pachymeter (72.6%) were the most common clinical technologies owned by optometrists in their clinical practices in 2007. In the period from 2003 to 2007, the technologies growing most rapidly in optometric offices were scanning laser

Practice management uses of new technology

The second part of the survey reviewed the types of practice management software optometrists used in their offices in 2007. Practice management software to support billing activities (85.0%), electronic claim processing software (81.2%), and bookkeeping programs (78.5%) were most widely found in respondent offices. Between 2005 and 2007, the percentages of optometrists using the practice management software listed in Table 2 changed only marginally for most categories. Some 28.5% of survey

Internet use

The third part of the AOA New Technology Survey posed questions about the use of the Internet, computer capabilities, e-mail, and other related questions. More than half of the respondents (52.5%) said they subscribed to online newsletters or listserves or participated in discussion groups (e.g., Optcom). More than 4 of 5 of the responding optometrists (82.3%) said they have visited the AOA Web site (www.aoa.org). Only 4.1% used dial-up access to the Internet, whereas most (85.1%) used

Other uses of new technology

Another section of the 2007 New Technology Survey asked optometrists about their other uses of new technologies. For example, more than 2 out of every 3 ODs (70.0%) currently order online from a vendor's Web site. Two of 5 ODs (42.4%) currently order from a buying group's Web site. More than 1 in 3 optometrists (35.3%) order through an independent Web site (e.g., VisionWeb, etc.). Optometrists were asked to estimate the percentage of items they ordered via the Internet during the 6 months

Neuro-optometric rehabilitation

Within the last 12 months, 78.5% of responding optometrists saw 1 or more patients who had suffered a neurological insult. Nearly a third (29.5%) provided neuro-optometric services to such patients. On average, the mean number of patients with a neuro-optometric insult seen in the 12 months before the survey was 11, and more than half of these patients (52.9%) were treated by the respondent. About 1 in 7 optometrists (14.4%) were affiliated with a rehabilitation center, clinic, or hospital that

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  • "Eye-T": Information technology adoption and use in Canada's optometry practices

    2011, Optometry
    Citation Excerpt :

    Visual field analysis (75.1%) and digital imaging (58.2%) were the most regularly used. Electronic patient records were used by 42.6% of respondents compared with 25.9% of U.S. optometry practices in the same time period.2 Of the specific clinical assessment devices identified, the automated perimeter was the technology most used (88.4%) followed by the autorefractor (83.9%) and autokeratometer (72.2%), the automated lensometer (67.3%), and automated noncontact tonometer (61.4%).

Richard C. Edlow, O.D., is the chair of the AOA Information & Data Committee. Glenn R. Markus is a consultant to the committee. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Optometric Association.

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