When it comes to eye care, there are a variety of professionals who can help you with your vision needs. An optometrist and an eye doctor are two of the most common professionals in the field. But what is the difference between them?An optometrist is an eye doctor who has earned a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree. This is a four-year degree in addition to your standard university degree.
Optometrists perform eye exams and tests, prescribe and dispense corrective lenses, detect eye abnormalities, and prescribe medications for eye diseases. An eye doctor, on the other hand, is a medical doctor (MD) who is trained to diagnose all eye diseases, as well as to treat patients suffering from an eye disorder or disease surgically. They can provide a variety of eye care services, such as diagnosing a variety of eye diseases and disorders, such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment and macular degeneration. Sometimes, the optometrist or eye doctor may first recognize the presence of certain medical conditions.
During an exam, they can detect certain diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Other tests may be done, which can also reveal tumors or strokes. An optician is another important part of the eye care team. They are professionals who can help place eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision correction devices. Unlike an eye doctor, an optometrist is not a specialist in surgery and cannot treat more serious eye conditions. By having a routine eye exam, your optometrist or eye doctor will not only help you get better vision, but they can also detect many asymptomatic but treatable eye diseases.
A major difference between an eye doctor and an optometrist is that an eye doctor is trained to perform eye surgery. Ophthalmologists receive 12 or more years of training to be able to perform in-depth surgical procedures for eye diseases.
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