Trends and Distribution of Political Contributions from Ophthalmologists in the United States

Purpose To describe the magnitude, party affiliation, temporal trend, and geographic distribution of political contributions made by ophthalmologists in the United States. Methods This cross-sectional study used public finance data from the Federal Election Commission website to identify political donations from ophthalmologists between 2003-2019. Contributions were filtered for occupation lines matching either "ophthalmologist," or "eye surgeon," and each contribution was cross-referenced to catalogue donations as "Republican," "Democratic," or "Independent." Results From 2003-2019, a total of 31,855 political donations were made by self-identified ophthalmologists, totaling $11,603,672. Of all dollars, 10.7%, 19.5%, and 69.8% went to Democratic, Republican, and Independent committees, respectively. Political contributions directed towards the American Academy of Ophthalmology Political Action Committee (OPHTHPAC) constituted the majority (59.8%) of overall contributions. From 2003 to 2019, the total number of unique contributions increased significantly from 1135 to 3208 (? = 0.63; P < .01). In dollars, this translated to an increase from $482,300 donated in 2003 to $640,695 donated in 2019, although this trend was non-significant (? = 0.18; P = .48). Conversely, the average amount of each contribution significantly declined from $425 to $203 (? = -0.35; P < .001). As expected, larger states such as California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and New York had the highest contribution dollars, in that order. Conclusions Political contributions from ophthalmologists have significantly risen since 2003, however there remain opportunities for growth in engagement with OPHTHPAC. Future analysis of how this involvement translates to representative health policy is warranted.