Nearly one in five optometrists and dispensing opticians say they are likely to leave the profession over the next five years according to the findings of a new survey conducted by Optician and CIBA Vision.
With more than four in 10 respondents saying they expect to reduce their work hours, the findings suggest that more attention may need to be paid to retaining eye care practitioners in the workforce as well as attracting new recruits.
These figures fall slightly for practitioners aged 55 years or under, suggesting that nearing retirement may be partly responsible, but are still higher than might be expected.
The Women of Vision 2010 survey is aimed primarily at understanding women's working practices, salaries, job satisfaction and future plans. Women are no more likely than men to say they plan to leave the profession within five years but they are more likely to cut down their working hours.
Women are aiming for a retirement age of 59 years while men would like to retire at 63 years.
.