Eyes for Ears: Usage and Efficacy of a Podcast for Ophthalmic Education

PURPOSE: To characterize listenership and perceived educational impact of the ophthalmic podcast “Eyes for Ears”. METHODS: A cross-sectional, internet-distributed, 9-question Qualtrics survey was made available to podcast listeners. Listenership metrics were analyzed from the podcast host platform. RESULTS: From January 10, 2019 to September 2, 2021, the podcast was downloaded over 422,000 times, averaging about 4442 downloads per episode. 209 Qualtrics survey responses were analyzed from podcast listeners with backgrounds in eye care including medical students, residents, fellows, clinicians and technicians. The majority were residents (60.3%), representative of the target audience of the podcast. Listeners reported using the podcast while commuting (81.3%), felt it increased the time they could spend on self-care (63.2%), and thought it improved their fund of knowledge (99.0%). Respondents recalled feeling better prepared for the OKAP or written boards after using this podcast (before median = 50/100 on Likert Scale, IQR 30–65 vs median = 70/100, IQR 56–81, p <0.001). Respondents identified question banks as the most helpful for OKAP studying, followed by podcasts. Podcasts were preferred over articles and lectures in terms of helpfulness (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The Eyes for Ears podcast has achieved a robust international audience. The surveyed audience felt the podcast was useful for their education and well-being.