Manpower requirements in ophthalmology.

Ophthalmology manpower requirements estimates presented to the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC) are explained and compared to previous estimates published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Both studies used similar methods but reached different conclusions; the reasons for this are explored and shown to be due principally to (1) differences in projected hours per week spent in patients care by ophthalmologists, and (2) differences in the medical workload traceable to differences in estimated visit time and needs for care in the area of systemic ophthalmology. The manpower implications of the principal contributors to the ophthalmology workload are examined, and differences between the two studies regarding these conditions are documented. Areas for further research are suggested.