Whenever you need eye care, picking the right specialist is an essential decision that must be made carefully. After all, you are trusting them to safeguard your sense of sight and assist you in maintaining good vision throughout your life. A good place to start is to understand the two main kinds of eye doctors: ophthalmologists and optometrists.
Who is an optometrist?
This is a doctor who tests eyes for both health and vision issues and conducts the correction of refractive errors—they prescribe contact lenses and eyeglasses. Other optometrists also offer vision therapy and low vision care. These professionals are permitted to prescribe medications for treating certain eye diseases.
Optometrists can also take part in the pre- or post-operative care once you undergo eye surgery implemented by an ophthalmologist. Only a few optometrists are trained and licensed to handle eye surgery.
Who is an ophthalmologist?
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who mainly specialise in vision and eye care. These specialists have been trained to conduct eye examinations, make a diagnosis and treat diseases, perform eye surgery and prescribe medication. They can also write prescriptions for contact lenses and eyeglasses.
Which eye specialist should you see?
If the eyes are healthy and you do not require specialised surgical or medical treatment, the doctor you choose for the routine eye check-up will depend on your personal preference. Both ophthalmologists and optometrists can perform routine eye examinations because the doctors have been trained to diagnose and manage diseases that need non-medical and medical treatment.
But, if you're suffering from a medical eye problem, like cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration, it's vital to seek the help of a highly trained doctor who is skilled and can monitor and treat your condition. Mostly, this can mean getting the surgical or medical eye care from an ophthalmologist. In this case, the optometrist can refer you to a colleague who specialises in treating your condition.
Mostly, an optometrist provides medical treatment for standard eye problems like eye infections and dry eyes, as well as severe eye diseases like glaucoma. However, some eye disorders need to be treated by an ophthalmologist, especially if speciality care is required.
Sometimes the care for some problems can be offered by both the ophthalmologist and optometrist; they can work as a team, an arrangement known as co-management. Both specialists will diagnose and treat, even if it means conducting an eye surgery. Co-management is a great solution for those who want their primary care doctors to be present while a specialist handles a certain medical eye condition.
I was not that surprised to find out that all three of my children are short-sighted considering that I have worn glasses since I was five. Eye health in children is an important topic to know about because it can impact on their learning at school. I began this blog to share eye health tips I have received from our optometrist. My blog posts will cover all things eye health like explaining optometry appointments to children so they know what to expect, and how to tell your child needs a visit to the optometrist sooner than their annual checkup. Don't let eye issues stop your children from excelling at school.