Is Your Eye Doctor Really a Doctor?

There are many types of eye care professionals, and most people assume that they are all about the same. Only ophthalmologists are actually medical doctors, trained and licensed to provide you with the full range of vision care, including eye surgery.

Optician
An optician can fit you for eyeglasses and sometimes contact lenses. They do not prescribe your corrective lenses, but help you choose frames and make sure the lenses fit properly in the frames. Some opticians actually mill the lenses, and some evaluate and measure your eyes to fit contact lenses.

Optometrist
Optometrists have a doctorate degree in optometry, but they are not medical doctors. They specialize solely in vision and the eyes, but are not trained to understand whole body health to the extent that ophthalmologists are. Optometrists cannot perform surgery. Optometrists and ophthalmologists sometimes work together in the same practice.

Ophthalmologist
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye care. They go to medical school, just like other doctors, and have an understanding of all of the body’s systems and how they relate to eye health. Of the three types of eye care professionals, they are the only ones who can perform surgery, and are qualified to assess overall health.

Your eyes work in conjunction with the rest of your body and are affected by health issues throughout your body. Many vision and eye problems are secondary to other health problems, such as diabetes. Ophthalmologists are equipped to address eye problems as part of the whole, understand the underlying cause, and manage eye care from that perspective.

Choosing an eye care professional
You should start out by seeing an ophthalmologist, even if you are not experiencing vision problems. Many conditions of the eye can lead to permanent vision loss or blindness and have no early warning signs. Early detection is the key to preserving sight.

An ophthalmologist will be able to thoroughly asses your vision and eye health, and can determine if your eyes are affected by other underlying health problems. Only an ophthalmologist can perform surgery and effectively treat eye problems which are secondary to other health conditions.

If your ophthalmologist determines that you do not have any serious problems with your eyes, do not need any kind of eye-related surgery, and that your vision is not affected by illness elsewhere in the body, he or she may recommend that you see and optometrist for your regular check-ups.

Ophthalmologists and optometrists can both prescribe corrective lenses and medications for the eyes. Opticians provide a very valuable service, but they do not perform eye exams, diagnose conditions of the eye, or prescribe corrective lenses or medications.