Choosing an eye care provider is an important health care decision. After all, you will be trusting them to safeguard your precious sense of sight and help you maintain a lifetime of good vision.
The first step in your decision is to understand that there are different types of eye care professional: optometrists, ophthalmologists and there is a third "O" among eye care providers: the optician.
What is an optometrist?
An optometrist is an eye care professional who has earned a degree in Optometry. Optometrists examine eyes for both vision and health problems, and correct refractive errors by prescribing glasses and contact lenses. Some optometrists also provide low vision care and vision therapy.
Some optometrists in the UK are also licensed to prescribe medications to treat certain eye problems and diseases.
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Optometrists may also participate in your pre- and post-operative care if you have eye surgery performed by an ophthalmologist. Optometrists in the UK are not trained or licensed to perform eye surgery.
An optometrist must complete a degree in optometry and then successfully complete a pre-registration period of one years' training under the supervision of an experienced optometrist. This includes work-based assessment and a final assessment on the core competencies for optometry.
Like ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians are required to fulfill continuing education requirements on an ongoing basis to maintain their official registration and stay current with the latest standards of eye care.
What is an ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD) who specialises in eye and vision care. Ophthalmologists are trained to perform eye tests, diagnose and treat disease, prescribe medications and perform eye surgery. They also write prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses.
Ophthalmologists undergo extensive training and the typical training route for would-be ophthalmologists is five years at medical school leading to a degree in medicine, then two years as a newly-qualified doctor followed by seven years of ophthalmic specialist training.
