{"id":18541,"date":"2024-12-20T12:16:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T17:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T12:16:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T17:16:42","slug":"what-eye-care-patients-wanted-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/what-eye-care-patients-wanted-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"What Eye Care Patients Wanted in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2024, millions of patients turned to Zocdoc to find healthcare providers across every state and specialty, booking appointments instantly online. Every click revealed patient preferences, including for eye care \u2014 one of the most sought-after specialties. In fact, optometrists were the seventh most-booked specialists in 2024 and both optometry and ophthalmology were among the top 10 fastest growing specialties.<\/span><\/p>\n

By analyzing these patient behaviors, we uncovered powerful insights to help practices better support their patients. Here\u2019s what Zocdoc data revealed about eye patients in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who was looking for new eye care providers?<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

In 2024, 54% of patients were female; 46% were male. Patients looking for new eye care providers also skewed young. 55% of patients were 26 and under and 20% were millennials (ages 27-42).<\/span><\/p>\n

They sought long-term relationships<\/b><\/p>\n

Patients seeking eye care in 2024 valued trust and continuity. Over 80% of Zocdoc patients rebooked with the same provider, which translates to <\/span>higher lifetime revenue<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When did they want to see eye care providers?<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Patients prioritized speed to care<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2024, 65.5% of appointments occurred within 8 days of booking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Booking flexibility was essential<\/b><\/p>\n

While just under 10% of patients booked eye appointments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., this behavior underscores a critical trend we saw in 2024: patients increasingly value flexibility and convenience in scheduling. Offering online self-scheduling ensures practices can capture these bookings and remain competitive by meeting the needs of patients who prefer to book outside of traditional office hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

They wanted to get in early<\/b><\/p>\n

The busiest booking days were Monday and Tuesday, with 11 a.m. being the most popular time slot. January was the busiest month for bookings, followed by October.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did they choose eye care providers?<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Insurance drove decisions<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2024, <\/span>8 out of 10<\/span> eye patients booked with a commercial insurance plan, and <\/span>9 out of 10<\/span> (90%) chose in-network providers. For those booking out-of-network or without insurance, popular visit reasons included eyeglasses and eye exams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mobile led the way, but desktop bookings remained strong<\/b><\/p>\n

60% of bookings were made via mobile, however, eye care providers had the highest percentage of desktop bookings (40%) compared to other specialties. This is likely due to patients booking these types of appointments needing larger screens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reviews and office photos mattered<\/b><\/p>\n

Patients consistently favored providers with more positive reviews and professional office photos. Relative to eye providers with one to nine reviews, those with 10 to 29 reviews saw 3x as many bookings on average. While many platforms allow anyone to write a review, Zocdoc promotes trust by only publishing reviews from verified patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, providers with one or more office photos got 3.9x as many bookings compared to providers who didn\u2019t show off their office space.<\/span><\/p>\n

Provider gender played a role<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2024, male eye care providers<\/span> received 23% more bookings on average than their female colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why were they looking for new eye care providers?<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Routine needs and common concerns were top of mind<\/b><\/p>\n

Routine eye exams ranked number eight out of the 10 most booked visit reasons overall in 2024, joining the list for the first time. Eyelid problems were among the visit reasons that saw the highest growth in bookings year-over-year for men and women, with an increase of 135% and 114%, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, patients booked visits with eye care providers for eyeglasses, contact lenses, eye pain, infections, and eye redness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where did they want to see eye care providers?<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Patients wanted to stay close to home<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2024, 79% of in-person visits took place within 20 miles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back at 2024<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

From prioritizing quick access and long-term relationships to favoring providers with trustworthy reviews, eye patients made their expectations clear. Understanding these trends and how you can meet patients’ unique needs can position your practice for further growth in 2025. <\/span>Consult with an enterprise sales representative<\/span><\/a> to learn more about how Zocdoc can grow your business.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2024, millions of patients turned to Zocdoc to find healthcare providers across every state and specialty, booking appointments instantly online. Every click revealed patient preferences, including for eye care \u2014 one of the most sought-after specialties. In fact, optometrists were the seventh most-booked specialists in 2024 and both optometry and ophthalmology were among the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":18542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[123,124],"class_list":["post-18541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-trends","tag-ophthalmologist","tag-optometrist"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Eye Care Patients Wanted in 2024 - Practice Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out what drove eye-related bookings in 2024.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/what-eye-care-patients-wanted-in-2024\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Eye Care Patients Wanted in 2024 - 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