Page 14 - The Freckled Eye - Book

Chapter 3

Difference Between Optometrists and Opthomologists

What’s the difference between optometrists and ophthalmologists?

Their jobs may correspond, and they may work together, but in general there

are vital traits that differentiate the two experts.

Who is an optometrist?

An optometrist is a Doctor of Optometry (OD) who has been trained to take

care of and manage eye infections, recommend glasses and contact lenses

and eliminate foreign bodies from the eye. An optometrist is someone who

had completed four years of undergraduate study and additional four years of

study from an optometry college. The four years of study in an optometry

college offer courses particularly in allowing people to see better through the

usage of contact lenses and glasses lenses. There is likewise a large part of

study devoted to the discovery, treatment and management of eye diseases.

Optometrists often work together with an ophthalmologist to deliver the pre-

and post-op care to an eye-surgery patient, although an optometrist will not

carry out the actual surgery.

So, who is an ophthalmologist?

An ophthalmologist is a qualified medical doctor who has earned a DO

(Doctor of Osteopathy) or MD (Medical Doctor) degree and who is certified to

surgically invade the eye. He or she has by and large used four years in

undergraduate studies, four years in medical school and three extra years

studying infections of the eye and surgery.