Top 2 Trends Impacting Ophthalmology Practices & Patients in 2025

In 2025, ophthalmology practices are facing rising costs, evolving patient demand and workforce dynamics that are reshaping the way eye care practices operate. See the top two trends that will significantly impact practice success and patients this year. Be proactive and creative to address these challenges head on!

1. Demand for Eye Care is Rapidly Increasing as Specialists Are Decreasing

The ophthalmology field stands at a critical crossroads where patient needs and provider availability are moving in opposite directions. The gap is widening rapidly, presenting both a significant challenge for the industry and an urgent call to action for practices to optimize their operations and service delivery models. As patient volumes continue to rise, practices must find innovative solutions to maintain quality care with fewer specialists.

How Big is the Growing Gap in Eye Care Services?

The ophthalmology field is facing a concerning workforce shortage just as patient demand reaches new heights. By 2035, the total demand for eye care is projected to increase by 24%, while the number of full-time ophthalmologists is expected to decline by 12%. This creates a significant service gap, with an expected shortage of 6,000 ophthalmologists by 2025.

According to recent statements from the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) President, cataract surgeries alone are on track to overwhelm the ophthalmology market. Practices must ensure schedules stay aligned with objectives and manage increasing patient volumes, all while preventing staff burnout and costly overtime.

Solutions for Managing Growing Demand

Forward-thinking ophthalmology and optometry practices are implementing smart patient communication strategies that have proven to reduce no-show rates to 5% or less. Additionally, by utilizing self-registration solutions, practices can also reduce wait times to under two minutes.. These patient intake efficiency improvements help maintain high patient volumes while preventing staff burnout and overtime costs. The end result? Ophthalmology practices can fit in more patients every day, while reducing delays in care.

Nick Tavares, CEO at Metrolina Eye Associates, shares:

“We established best practices around confirming appointments and it’s been incredible for us. Instead of not showing up, patients can cancel or reschedule an appointment, and we can open up our schedule for other patients. Now we’ve limited the number of no-shows, and our providers know we’re filling their schedules.”

Top-performing practices are addressing these challenges with

• Intelligent Scheduling Solutions: Self-scheduling adoption has jumped from 34% to 75% in just one year. Many eye care practices have seen dramatic improvements to staff workloads and patient acquisition as a result of implementing 24/7 online scheduling options.
• Automated Communication Systems: By establishing best practices around appointment confirmations and reminders, practices can proactively manage their schedules. When patients can’t make it to their appointments, they can easily cancel or reschedule, allowing practices to fill those slots with other patients and reduce their no-show rates to just 4% in some cases.
• Digital Patient Registration: Patient-led self-registration platforms have also proven to significantly reduce administrative burden while simultaneously speeding up intake. This streamlined check-in approach helps practices maintain efficiency, even as patient volumes increase, ensuring more patients can receive care everyday.
• Optimized Clinical Workflows: By reducing administrative tasks and wait times, ophthalmology clinical staff can focus on patient care, helping to offset the impact of specialist shortages while maintaining quality care standards.

2. Patient Loyalty is Faltering Retention and Profits

Patient loyalty has become increasingly fragile in today’s healthcare environment, which directly impacts practice retention rates and financial performance. Patients in our modern world have more choices than ever before. They are also more willing to choose ophthalmologists based on convenience and service quality factors, like long wait times. As practices struggle to maintain patient relationships, understanding and adapting to changing patient preferences has become crucial for sustainable growth.

Nearly 79% of patients say they would choose a provider offering online and self-service interactivity over one that does not. Maybe surprisingly to some, this preference spans all age groups, with 99% of Millennials, 97% of Gen Xers, and 92% of Baby Boomers expressing willingness to use online scheduling if offered. 

Another eye-opening statistic reveals that 96% of patient complaints are tied to customer service rather than medical care. With how competitive today’s healthcare market is, provider expertise alone isn’t enough to retain patients. Practice success increasingly depends on the entire patient experience, from initial booking to follow-up care and every step in between.

Building Patient Loyalty Through Technology

Top-performing practices are reshaping patient experiences through patient-led self-service scheduling and registration platforms. These digital solutions provide the convenience patients demand while streamlining check-in, communications and payments. The result? Improved patient reviews, stronger loyalty and increased patient acquisition rates.

Modern ophthalmology practices recognize that patient retention goes beyond clinical excellence. With eye care being an increasingly competitive field, practices must focus on creating comprehensive patient experiences that align with modern consumer expectations. This focus is particularly crucial for premium services like LASIK and refractive surgery, where patient acquisition heavily depends on practice reviews and accessibility. Success in patient retention requires practices to evaluate and enhance every touchpoint in the patient journey. 

Digital solutions not only improve operational efficiency but also demonstrate to patients that a practice is invested in providing modern, convenient care options. See how patient-led solutions differ from traditional self-service engagement tools — to help practices consistently see happier patients (and staff!). This investment in technology pays off through improved patient satisfaction scores, increased referral rates and stronger long-term patient relationships. 

See Success by Taking Action on 2025’s Critical Trends

As one Director of Operations noted:

“It’s the time we’re living in. Everything is advancing. More patients will demand self-service access. The after-hours usage of our online scheduler is huge for us. If we didn’t have the 24/7 option, we would not otherwise capture those patients.”

Practices that adapt to these trends by implementing the right technology solutions and patient-centric approaches will be better positioned to thrive in 2025 and beyond. Want to discover the other key trends that will impact your practice’s growth and profitability? Download our complete report 5 Trends Impacting Ophthalmology Practices and Profits in 2025.