Table 1.

Percentage (and numbers) of respondents who specified Ophthalmology as their first choice of eventual career at one (1974–2002), three (1974–2000) and five (1974–1980, 1993 & 1996) years after graduation

	Percentages (numbers) choosing Ophthalmology
	Year One			Year Three			Year Five
Cohort	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total
1974	0.9 (13)	0.8 (4)	0.9 (17)	1.3 (14)	1.4 (6)	1.3 (20)	1.2 (15)	1.2 (6)	1.2 (21)
1977	1.4 (25)	0.9 (8)	1.3 (33)	1.5 (24)	1.4 (11)	1.5 (35)	1.5 (26)	1.2 (11)	1.4 (37)
1980	2.0 (36)	2.5 (25)	2.1 (61)	1.7 (31)	1.4 (14)	1.6 (45)	1.4 (25)	1.0 (10)	1.3 (35)
1983	2.2 (42)	1.0 (12)	1.7 (54)	2.2 (40)	0.8 (10)	1.6 (50)	N/A	N/A	N/A
1993	3.5 (45)	2.2 (29)	2.8 (74)	1.9 (27)	1.8 (25)	1.9 (52)	2.0 (27)	1.7 (23)	1.8 (50)
1996	1.9 (27)	1.3 (20)	1.6 (47)	1.7 (21)	1.5 (22)	1.6 (43)	2.1 (25)	1.0 (14)	1.5 (39)
1999	2.7 (31)	1.7 (27)	2.1 (58)	2.4 (26)	1.4 (20)	1.8 (46)	2.4 (28)	1.2 (18)	1.7 (46)
2000	3.1 (40)	1.4 (23)	2.1 (63)	3.0 (40)	1.7 (28)	2.3 (68)	2.4 (29)	1.2 (18)	1.7 (47)
2002	3.6 (39)	1.6 (27)	2.4 (66)	2.9 (31)	0.8 (14)	1.6 (45)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Total	2.3 (298)	1.5 (175)	1.9 (473)	2.0 (254)	1.4 (150)	1.7 (404)	1.8 (175)	1.2 (100)	1.6 (275)

Numbers of respondents were 13164 (Men), 11457 (Women) and 24621 (Total) in Year One; 12420 (Men), 11048 (Women) and 23468 (Total) in Year Three; 9559 (Men), 8128 (women) and 17687 (Total) in Year Five. Chi-square test for linear trend – year 1; men χ²₁ = 27.7 (p < 0.001); women χ²₁ = 0.9 (p = 0.35); total χ²₁ = 14.6 (p < 0.001) – year three; men 10.6 (p = 0.001); women 0.4 (p = 0.85); total 3.5 (p = 0.062) – year five; men 10.5 (p = 0.001); women 0.02 (p = 0.90); total 4.1 (p = 0.043).