Insights from Black, Latina, and Indigenous Women in Eye Care

At NURILENS, we recognize that improving eye care outcomes also means enhancing the experiences of the eye care workforce that delivers it. As an industrial-organizational psychologist by occupation, our CEO, Dr. Juliette Nelson has a unique lens to how employee experiences impact healthcare equity and patient care. In our commitment to growing as practitioners and, through NURILENS, we want to champion research that contributes to the field and professional practice. 

We are proud to share our latest study, Eye Don’t See Color: Experiences of Black, Latina, and Indigenous Women in Eye Care, which was published in IGI Global’s special edition, Elevating the Voices of Women of Color in the Workplace, edited by Dr. Myia Williams. This study, by Dr. Nelson, Regina Florestal, Dr. Helene Clayton-Jeter, and Karl Florestal, brings awareness to the professional trajectory that Black, Latina, and Indigenous women experience working in eye care at different levels. It highlights their inspirations, challenges, insights and recommendations for increasing inclusion and equity in the field.

Our Findings

Black and Latinx professionals each make up less than 5% of the eye care workforce and Indigenous representation is even lower, at less than 1%. Black, Latina, and Indigenous women as a part of these populations are even less represented, especially in leadership roles. This also reflects in how they are few and far between on leadership boards and pipelines for eye care professional networks across the globe.

Our research on these workforce trends aligns with the significant disparities in eye health for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, who face the highest risk of developing eye-related illnesses often because of a lack of culturally-informed eye care.

We spoke with nine Black, Latina, and/or Indigenous women working in different areas of eye care. We pulled from their negative and positive experiences, informing the factors that can either limit or propel Black, Indigenous, and Latina women in the field. This is what we found:

• Barriers to entry into eye care: Lack of community awareness and access often lend to the limited pipeline into the field. Some participants learned about the eye care field from their personal experience need eye glasses or having to support a family member with their eye-related illness. Others had mentors who helped grow their awareness and open doors for their entry into the field.   
• Inequities the Work Environment: Participants were subject to unhealthy work environments with microagressions, psychological safety, and unfair expectations. Some reported being afraid of asking questions or support for the fear of retribution. Others recognized that their authentic self or expression in the workplace was unwelcomed. It lends to them being underrepresented and underpaid in the field.
• Access to Professional Development and Growth: Some participants benefited from sponsorship and mentorship opportunities that allowed them to grow professionally in the field. Others were often passed over for opportunities, told they were too experienced, or encouraged to figure things out on their own. This also lent to underrepresentation at higher levels and pay inequities. 
• Value of Diversity in the Workforce: Participants who more workforce diversity in their environments attested to better patient care outcomes as a result. They shared the value of collaboration to improve the work environment and care delivery.
• The Why: All participants were driven by a sense of purpose and duty to serve their communities and address the health inequalities being faced. They recognized their calling in this field to contribute to enhanced care and better opportunities for those behind them.

Recommendations 

We asked our study participants for their insights and recommendations on how leaders in eye care and human capital professionals could make the work environment more inclusive, equitable, and safe for them. We also pulled from some of their positive experiences, and here is what we found:

• Starting Young: Education on eye care and the profession, should begin early on in grade school as children and adolescents begin considering their career aspirations.
• Mentorship & Sponsorship: Black, Latina, and Indigenous women need people who will champion their professional development by advising them AND mentioning their name in rooms that they may not have access to. This will contribute to more diversity in eye care whether in professional practice or care delivery.
• Breaking Down Barriers: Leaders in eye care must be committed to breaking down the systemic barriers that limit the professional growth and advancement of Black, Latina, and Indigenous women and inhibit their access to a safe working environment.

Why It Matters

Our study serves as a wake-up call for the eye care industry. While our focus was on Black, Latina, and Indigenous women, our findings benefit cultural issues that may be embedded in the work environment. With communities of color facing higher rates of eye-related illnesses, it is critical for us to commit to improving the work environment to foster more culturally-competent eye care. 

Click here to learn more and read the full study.