Purpose: Despite increasing numbers of women oculoplastic surgeons, they remain underrepresented within the subspecialty. The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in gender authorship within the field of ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery. Methods: This retrospective observational study sampled articles published in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (OPRS) and Orbit during the years 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2020. Data reviewed included article type, total number of authors, and the gender of each article’s first and senior author. Results: Nine hundred ninety-nine articles were analyzed, including 701 in OPRS and 298 in Orbit. Of 3,716 total authors, 1,151 (31%) were women, including 297 (29.7%) first authors, and 191 (21.5%) senior authors. Women authorship in OPRS in 1985 (first, 3.9%; senior, 3.3%; all, 3.2%) significantly increased by 2020 (first, 44.6%; senior, 27.9%; all, 42%). Women authorship in Orbit in 1985 (first, 0%; senior, 4.5%; all, 7.4%) also significantly increased by 2020 (first, 43.3%; senior, 34%; all, 42.9%). In a subanalysis of OPRS original investigations alone, women first authorship increased from 3.1% in 1985 to 35.8% in 2020 (p < 0.001) and women senior authorship increased from 4.3% in 1985 to 25% in 2020 (p = 0.001). In a subanalysis of Orbit original investigations alone, women first authorship increased from 0% in 1985 to 65.4% in 2020 (p < 0.001) and women senior authorship increased from 5.3% in 1985 to 42.3% in 2020 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite a significant increase in women authorship over the past several decades, women remain underrepresented within the oculoplastic literature, particularly in regard to senior authorship. When considering original investigations alone, there has been a significant increase in women first and senior authorship in both OPRS and Orbit.

Vision impairment continues to be a major global problem, as the WHO estimates 2.2 billion people struggling with vision loss or blindness. One billion of these cases, however, can be prevented by expanding diagnostic capabilities. Direct global healthcare costs associated with these conditions totaled $255 billion in 2010, with a rapid upward projection to $294 billion in 2020. Accordingly, WHO proposed 2030 targets to enhance integration and patient-centered vision care by expanding refractive error and cataract worldwide coverage. Due to the limitations in cost and portability of adapted vision screening models, there is a clear need for new, more accessible vision testing tools in vision care. This comparative, systematic review highlights the need for new ophthalmic equipment and approaches while looking at existing and emerging technologies that could expand the capacity for disease identification and access to diagnostic tools. Specifically, the review focuses on portable hardware- and software-centered strategies that can be deployed in remote locations for detection of ophthalmic conditions and refractive error. Advancements in portable hardware, automated software screening tools, and big data-centric analytics, including machine learning, may provide an avenue for improving ophthalmic healthcare.