// May 17th, 2011
NHS statistics have revealed that the number of ophthalmic practitioners in England has increased by almost 4% during the 12 months to December.
According to the new data at the end of 2010 there were 10,409 active ophthalmic practitioners, 386 more that 2009, which represents a 3.9% rise.
In Wales there was a much sharper increase with the number of practitioners reaching 756, a rise of 6.3%.
Over the last 10 years the research shows a steady trend towards a complete gender balance in the industry. Last year in England 50.6% were male, compared to 59.3% 10 years ago. In Wales the breakdown was 52% male, down from 59.8% 10 years ago.
