An ophthalmologist is a doctor who specializes in eye care and can be either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist depending on their training. They can specialize in various areas such as pediatric ophthalmology or eye oncology. While optometrists only identify vision defects and prescribe corrective lenses, ophthalmologists can perform surgeries and treat medical eye conditions.
An ophthalmologist is the generic name given to a doctor who specializes in eye care. An ophthalmologist may be strictly an optometrist or may be an ophthalmologist depending on his or her training. An ophthalmologist who is trained to identify and treat eye diseases and defects as they pertain to a medical condition is an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist who is trained to identify eye defects that affect vision and prescribe corrective lenses to correct vision problems is an optometrist.
Although an ophthalmologist is trained to administer eye exams, their specific medical duties vary according to their area of training and their specialty. While an optometrist specializes only in identifying vision defects and prescribing corrective lenses, an ophthalmologist specializes in all areas of eye health. An optometrist, for example, would not perform eye surgery or treat an eye injury, whereas an ophthalmologist would.
Although the areas in which an ophthalmologist may specialize are optometry and ophthalmology, an ophthalmologist may further specialize in pediatric ophthalmology, eye oncology, corneal diseases, and so on. The main difference between ophthalmologist specialties is training. An optometrist earns a doctorate in optometry by studying four years of optometry in a specialized school, and may sometimes be required to study only an additional year or two. An ophthalmologist is a physician who has undergone a surgical internship after completing medical school. Thus, ophthalmologists are qualified to perform surgeries, write prescriptions for all medications, and are often classified as surgeons rather than mere physicians.
While there can be a big difference in the training and education an eye doctor receives, there are some similarities. The similarities between most eye doctors include their specialized study of the eye, their skilled knowledge to identify defects that affect vision, and their ability to diagnose and treat glaucoma and some eye infections.
An individual seeking help identifying a problem with the eye seeks the services of an ophthalmologist. If the problem is vision-related, they may choose to visit an optometrist. However, if the problem is medical in nature or is an emergency, they will want to see an eye doctor.
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