NEW YORK—Women ODs often earn less than their male counterparts, a reflection of the gender pay gap that exists nationally. Women In Optometry magazine, a quarterly supplement to Review of Optometry, is exploring the reasons why in a survey launched earlier this month.

According to the 2011 ECP Compensation Study, full-time employed female optometrists earned an $93,114, an 18 percent gap between the average $114,025 earned by full-time employed men. Even when accounting for time in practice, women earned less. Among practice owners and partners, the gap was even larger.

The Women In Optometry survey asks participants (men and women) to talk about the choices they make in terms of salary, as well as their comfort level in discussing salary with employers. Can the pay gap be explained away entirely by lifestyle issues, such as wanting to spend more time with family or working closer to home? Take the survey here.