Prevalence of herbal medication use by the Pacific University Vision Clinic population

An increasing number of Americans are using herbal medications.(11) Research has shown a large discrepancy in the number of people reported using herbal therapies.(7) The purpose of this study is to determine the percent of the clinical population of the Pacific University Vision Centers that are using herbal alternatives; and if they are reporting this use to their physicians. A survey of herbal usage and reported use to physicians was distributed in Pacific University Vision Clinics in Forest Grove and Portland, Oregon. Of the 89 responses, 75 of the patients were taking herbal supplements, 84.27%. Sixty women responded to the survey, of those 55 were taking herbal supplements, 91.6%. Of the 29 men who responded, only 68% were using herbal supplements. (p \u3c 0.05) Of the 75 patients using herbal supplements, only 43% have been regularly informing their physician of their supplement use. Although the response to the survey was low, a clear pattern emerged from the data that a significant portion of the population is taking herbal supplements and not reporting this use to their physicians