Ophthalmologist Vs. Optometrist

Ophthalmologists and optometrists are two most common types of eye doctors. But whom do you go to, for a particular eye problem? Who will you go to in case of an eye infection and who will you go to, when you want to measure your vision?

The Difference Explained

There are quite a few differences between these two professions. So we will look at both the professions one by one, so that we can draw out the differences between the two.

Ophthalmologist
An ophthalmologist may be qualified with a Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree. They have to complete 4 years of medical education, after which they have to give a series of exams, testing their thoroughness in the knowledge of ophthalmology. On passing these tests, He or she is given the license to practice his trade. An ophthalmologist is the doctor you would go to, in case of eye diseases. Depending on the course which the person attends, he may be a general ophthalmologist or may have a specialization in certain disorders. The common eye problems which you would expect an ophthalmologist to treat almost any problem of the eye from prescribing reading glasses to complex eye surgery. Some of the eye problems for which you would visit him include phacoemulsification for cataracts and elective refractive surgeries. He is also the person to go to in case you are looking for the LASIK eye surgery (laser in-situ keratomileusis). An ophthalmologist may have also completed sub-specialization in Cornea and external diseases, Glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmic pathology, pediatric ophthalmology or vitreoretinal diseases.

Optometrist
An optometrist, on the other hand, has a completely different qualification, which is nonetheless related to the eyes. After graduation, a student does not go to a medical school, but instead has to attend a four-year postgraduate course in optometry. At the end of their course and on passing all the relevant tests, optometrists are given the 'O.D.' degree, which stands for Doctor of Optometry, and gives him or her the license to practice his science. They may also go for a specialization in optometry-related fields like contact lenses, family practice optometry, geriatric optometry, hospital-based optometry, ocular disease, pediatric optometry, primary care optometry, vision therapy, etc. Optometrist etymologically means measuring vision and that is what they do. So, you would be visiting one if you have problems like farsightedness, shortsightedness, presbyopia and astigmatism. An optometrist measures your range of vision and also prescribes the power of the glasses or contact lenses, in case you need vision correction. But for surgical procedures for the eyes, it is better to go to an ophthalmologist.

As you can see now, they are two very different 'eye doctors'. So depending on the eye problem you have, you can visit either of them. If it is related to eye surgery, you go to the ophthalmologist. If you want to get lenses, then head to an optometrist.