Pediatric ophthalmology attire: should we wear a white coat?

The purpose of this study was to determine if patients and their families in a pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus clinic have a preference regarding physician and staffattire. Patients and/or parents were invited to complete a three-question survey. Respondents were queried based on three types of attire preference: white coat, professional clothing without white coat, or casual attire without white coat. Two hundred twenty-seven patients participated. Of the patients queried, no preference for any one style of physician attire was found. These results do not support previous studies indicating significant preference for white coats.