Thirty-nine percent of ophthalmologists reported being very or extremely happy at work, according to the Medscape "Ophthalmologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020."
Five insights:
1. Ophthalmologists are the second happiest specialists, behind dermatologists. Plastic surgeons, orthopedic specialists and general surgeons round out the top five happiest specialties.
2. Outside of work, ophthalmologists are even happier: 58 percent told Medscape that they are very or extremely happy in their personal lives.
3. While 41 percent of physicians overall reported burnout, just 22 percent of ophthalmologists reported being burned out. Eight percent reported being both burned out and depressed.
4. Ophthalmologists cited bureaucratic tasks and government regulations as the top drivers of burnout.
5. To compile the report, Medscape surveyed 15,181 physicians across 29-plus specialties.