Glaucoma Surgeon Recruitment: How to Attract the Right Surgeon to Your Practice
Suppose we met at the AAO meeting and sat down over coffee to talk about your glaucoma surgeon recruitment search.
My first question would be: Why does your practice need this surgeon now?
Perhaps a longtime colleague is preparing to retire, and you want patients and referring doctors to feel cared for through the transition. Maybe your area has lost several ophthalmologists in recent years. Perhaps your doctors are seeing more glaucoma patients than they can comfortably serve, or you see an opportunity to build a glaucoma service your community needs.
Each is a good reason to recruit. Each calls for a slightly different conversation with the surgeon you hope to hire.
I’m Drew Caldwell, founder of OjO Recruitment Agency. Since 2009, we’ve helped ophthalmology practices and surgeons find one another across the country. Here are the things I’d encourage you to think through before writing the job posting, beginning interviews, or making an offer to a prospective glaucoma candidate.
If you’d like to talk through your plans, get in touch with OjO or email me at Drew@ojorecruiting.com. I’m glad to share what we’re hearing about offers, compensation, schedules, and candidate priorities, even if you’re still deciding whether to work with a recruiter.
Why Is Recruiting a Glaucoma Surgeon So Competitive?
Glaucoma is the ophthalmology subspecialty we hear about most often from practices seeking recruiting help. That’s OjO’s experience, not a national ranking of job searches. A practice owner or administrator may tell me about patients waiting for appointments, glaucoma cases being referred elsewhere, or a surgeon approaching retirement. Often, all three are happening at once.
The need for care is substantial. A study in JAMA Ophthalmology estimated that 4.22 million U.S. adults had glaucoma in 2022. Glaucoma becomes more common with age, and the care patients need may continue for decades.
I also think about the much larger population living with diabetes or at risk of developing it. The CDC estimates that 40.1 million Americans have diabetes and another 115.2 million adults have prediabetes. The National Eye Institute notes that people with diabetes have a higher risk of glaucoma. Prediabetes is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes; it is not itself a forecast of glaucoma cases. But when you look at these numbers alongside an aging population, you can see why practices are thinking about future demand for eye care, including glaucoma care.
A published workforce projection estimates that, between 2020 and 2035, the overall supply of ophthalmologists will decline by 12% while demand rises by 24%. That would leave ophthalmology about 30% short of projected demand in 2035. This is a forecast for ophthalmology as a whole, not a measured shortage specific to glaucoma.
At the 2025 American Glaucoma Society meeting, Kelly Muir, MD, reported that 72 U.S. glaucoma fellowship programs offered 106 positions in 2024. Positions offered are not the same as fellows who completed training or surgeons looking for a job. Dr. Muir also counted a little over 1,100 active and provisional American Glaucoma Society members—an informative snapshot of society membership, not a census of every glaucoma surgeon in the country.
None of these figures tells us exactly how many glaucoma surgeons a community will need in ten years. Together, though, they give us good reason to plan for growing demand while recruiting is already difficult. Good candidates have choices. The more clearly you understand the opportunity you’re offering, the better you can help a surgeon see whether it fits the career they want to build.
Why Are You Hiring a Glaucoma Surgeon?
“We’re growing” may be true, but a prospective colleague will want to know what that growth means for their first year—and for their future with you.
Will the surgeon inherit patients from someone retiring? Are your other doctors sending glaucoma cases outside the practice? Is the need coming from your optometrists, outside referrals, a new office, or changes in your community? What will already be in place when the surgeon arrives, and what will you build together?
You don’t have to promise a full clinic and operating room schedule on day one. You do need an honest account of the opportunity and a credible plan for developing it.
What Kind of Clinical Mix Can You Offer?
One thing I’ve learned from talking with glaucoma surgeons over the years: many love glaucoma care but don’t want to do it exclusively. They may also want to perform cataract surgery and see comprehensive ophthalmology patients. Some would welcome a practice devoted much more heavily to glaucoma. Ask, rather than assume.
The trouble comes when a practice and a surgeon both say “a mix of glaucoma and cataracts” while picturing very different weeks.
Before you recruit, think through the likely patient mix, clinic schedule, and surgical cases during the first six months. Then look further ahead. As glaucoma referrals grow, will you still be able to offer the mix you described? Maintaining that balance may take deliberate scheduling and referral planning.
I’d rather see a practice be candid about the work it can offer than make an attractive promise it can’t sustain. The right surgeon is someone whose interests fit both the role you have today and the one you can realistically build.
Can Your Practice Support the Whole Job?
Many glaucoma surgeons value the relationships they build with patients over years of care. That continuity can be one of the most rewarding parts of the specialty. It can also mean long-term disease management, difficult conversations, and close follow-up after surgery.
Some surgeons tell us they want cataract and comprehensive work in part because they enjoy the variety. Others are happy with a glaucoma-focused practice. It’s worth asking what keeps each candidate engaged and supported, particularly when a clinical day includes patients facing serious vision loss.
When a surgeon asks about support, they’re imagining how they would care for those patients in your practice. Tell them about technicians and scribes, diagnostic resources, operating room time, urgent-visit capacity, postoperative coverage, and the colleagues who will share the work. If you expect the surgeon to grow a new service, explain what administrative and outreach support you can provide.
If something is still a work in progress, say so and describe your plan. Candidates can appreciate a practice that’s improving. Surprises after they join are much harder to recover from.
What Makes Your Practice a Place to Build a Career?
A surgeon will consider compensation. They’re also wondering: Will I enjoy working with these people? Can I practice the way I believe in? Could my family be happy here?
Think about what your current doctors would say over coffee about the group. Do colleagues share difficult cases? Can physicians make sound clinical decisions without needless friction? Is there a mentor who genuinely enjoys helping a new graduate grow? Are there opportunities to teach, pursue research, try new surgical approaches, or help shape the practice’s future?
Those details mean more than saying you have an “excellent culture.” Invite candidates to spend time with the physicians, optometrists, technicians, and administrators they would work with. Give them space to ask honest questions—and let them see how your team treats one another on an ordinary day.
The community matters, too. A surgeon may be weighing a spouse’s career, schools, or proximity to family. Help them get to know the area without trying to sell them a version of life there that isn’t quite real.
For more on the concerns that can quietly change a candidate’s decision, read our guide to why great ophthalmology candidates turn down great practices.
How Should You Present Compensation and Partnership?
A strong offer is easier to evaluate when a candidate can understand it. Walk through guaranteed pay, how productivity bonuses are calculated, when they begin, and what you’ll do to help the surgeon build patient and surgical volume. Explain the full package, including time off, scheduling flexibility, relocation or sign-on support, and other benefits where they apply.
In her 2025 discussion of the glaucoma workforce, Dr. Muir called for fair compensation. I think that’s a useful reminder when designing a role. Glaucoma work includes long-term management, difficult decisions, and postoperative care as well as surgery. Consider whether the compensation model and clinical support make the whole job sustainable.
If there’s a path to partnership, tell candidates how it has worked in your group. When have associates become eligible? How is the decision made? Might ownership include the practice, an ASC, optical, or other assets? Even if you can’t settle every future buy-in term today, a surgeon should be able to understand the process and speak with people who have gone through it.
Clarity helps both sides. It gives a candidate something real to consider and may surface a mismatch before anyone has made a major commitment.
When Should You Begin Recruiting?
If you can see the need a year or two ahead, it isn’t too early to begin planning. Glaucoma searches are among the requests we hear most often, and finding the right person can take time. A surgeon may need to finish fellowship, meet an existing contract obligation, obtain a license, or make a cross-country move with a family. Your team may need time to plan referral transitions, staffing, clinic space, and operating room access.
If a doctor is nearing retirement, talk now about how patients and referral relationships would move to a new colleague. If you’re building a service, sketch out the first year before a candidate asks you to.
Urgency is understandable. It shouldn’t rush the conversations that tell you whether someone will be a good colleague for years to come. We talk more about that in the hiring mistake practices make when the need for a doctor becomes urgent.
What Should You Ask a Glaucoma Surgeon During Interviews?
Training and experience matter, of course. An interview should also help you understand what kind of work gives a surgeon energy and how they hope to work with your team. I’d consider asking:
- What drew you to glaucoma, and what parts of the work do you enjoy most?
- What kind of patient and surgical mix would make a role satisfying for you?
- Which procedures or types of cases do you hope to do regularly?
- What support helps you provide your best care, particularly during a busy clinic or postoperative week?
- How do you like to work with comprehensive ophthalmologists and optometrists?
- What kind of mentorship would be helpful at this stage of your career?
- What would help you feel successful in your first year here?
- If partnership or leadership interests you, what would you hope it includes?
- What would you and your family need from a new community?
Then let the surgeon ask questions just as freely. If either of you learns the role isn’t the right fit, that’s useful progress. You’ve learned it before someone has made a life-changing move.
How OjO Helps Practices Recruit Glaucoma Surgeons
Our first step is to listen. I want to understand why you’re hiring, what your patients need, what the incoming surgeon’s days would actually look like, and the kind of colleague who would feel at home with your team. From there, we can help you tell the story of the opportunity and speak with surgeons whose goals may fit it.
OjO works with ophthalmology and optometry practices nationwide. We approach these searches personally because the decisions are personal: a surgeon is choosing colleagues and a place to live; your practice is welcoming someone who may care for its patients for many years.
Our recruitment work is contingency-based, and we don’t require an exclusive agreement. You can read more about how we work on our employer page. And if you’re still sorting out whether to recruit, I’m glad to talk through what you’re seeing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Recruiting a Glaucoma Surgeon
How many glaucoma surgeons are there in the United States?
There isn’t a single dependable published count of every active, fellowship-trained glaucoma surgeon. At the 2025 American Glaucoma Society meeting, Kelly Muir, MD, counted a little over 1,100 active and provisional society members, the categories she considered most likely to include active U.S. glaucoma practices. That membership figure is not a national surgeon count. Your local referral needs and the particulars of your role will tell you more about the search ahead.
How many glaucoma fellowship positions are offered each year?
Dr. Muir reported that 72 U.S. glaucoma fellowship programs offered 106 positions in 2024. That’s a one-year count of positions offered, not a count of graduates or jobseekers. The number of openings and fellows can change from year to year.
What should a glaucoma surgeon job description include?
Tell the surgeon why you’re hiring, what patient and surgical mix you expect, where referrals will come from, and what support and operating room access they’ll have. Include the compensation structure, location, and any genuine path to partnership. Help someone picture an ordinary week as well as the longer-term opportunity.
Do glaucoma surgeons want to perform cataract surgery?
Many do, though preferences vary. Ask what mix a candidate would find satisfying and explain what your practice can offer now and as the role develops.
How long does it take to recruit a glaucoma surgeon?
There’s no reliable one-size-fits-all timeline. Location, the nature of the role, candidate availability, your practice’s reputation, the pace of interviews, and relocation needs all matter. Starting early gives you room to find a strong fit and prepare for the surgeon’s arrival.
Do we need to offer partnership?
No. Some surgeons want ownership; others prefer employment. If you do offer partnership, explain what that path means in your practice rather than relying on the words “partnership track.”
Does OjO require an exclusive contract or an upfront recruiting fee or retainer?
No exclusive recruitment agreement is required. Our recruitment services are contingency-based: the recruitment fee is due only if we help you hire a doctor. We do not charge anything upfront and there are also no retainer fees when you work with OjO.
Let’s Talk About Your Practice
Perhaps you have an opening today. Perhaps you’re beginning to think about succession, or wondering whether your group could support its first glaucoma surgeon. I’d be glad to learn more about your practice’s situation and help you think through the next step.
Contact OjO about your glaucoma surgeon search or email me at Drew@ojorecruiting.com. We can start with a conversation about the patients you hope to serve and the colleague you hope to welcome.