What Is Ophthalmology?

Ophthalmology is a field of medicine that involves the diagnosis and treatment of eye issues. The specialty helps patients with everything from prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses to surgical interventions for conditions like retinal tears and strabismus. As with other branches of medicine, some ophthalmologists choose to specialize in the care of pediatric patients, and others treat only adults. Currently, experts recommend that individuals have an eye exam at least once during their 20s, and two exams are recommended between the ages of thirty and thirty-nine. For patients between forty and sixty-four years old, exams are advised every two to four years, and individuals who are sixty-five years old and older are advised to have annual eye exams.

Basic Definition

Ophthalmology is, as mentioned, the avenue of medicine dealing with the eyes and the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting vision. Specialists working in this area study and treat issues associated with any part of the eye. For example, they can treat outer eye conditions such as eye infections, cysts, or weakness in the muscles that control the eyelid. They also evaluate and treat conditions affecting the inside of the eye and the retina, including cataracts, retinal tears, and retinal detachment. Ophthalmology often deals with cases that require eye surgery. Ophthalmologists are trained in laser surgery for various eye conditions, and they can also perform surgery on the eyes with traditional instruments.

Differences Between An Ophthalmologist, Optometrist, And Optician

The differences between an ophthalmologist, optometrist, and optician are significant, both in required training levels and in the eye disorders each can treat. Ophthalmologists are medical or osteopathic doctors who specialize in eye health. These professionals complete medical school and additional training in eye disorders, and they are licensed to practice both medicine and surgery. They can diagnose and treat any type of eye disorder, and they perform eye exams, issue prescriptions for glasses and contacts, and perform surgery when necessary. Optometrists attend four years of optometry school after completing an undergraduate degree, and they are licensed to practice optometry.

Unlike ophthalmologists, however, optometrists are not medical doctors, though they are still licensed to perform eye examinations, write prescriptions for glasses or contacts, and diagnose certain types of eye conditions. They can also prescribe some kinds of prescription medications. Opticians are not permitted to perform vision or eye examinations, and they are also not able to diagnose or treat any eye conditions. Using prescriptions supplied by optometrists or ophthalmologists, opticians can design and fit glasses, contact lenses, and other corrective vision aids. They cannot write any prescriptions themselves.