What are the Different Kinds of Eye Doctors?

There are different kinds of eye doctors, so knowing which is the right one for your needs can be confusing. Understanding what each eye doctor does can help a person figure out which one they need to see. Each eye doctor handles different types of care, so though one doctor may be able to handle everything, not every doctor can handle it all.

Different eye problems require a trip to different kinds of eye doctors. Depending on the extent of the eye problem, or condition, a certain eye doctor is required to handle it. Like all doctors, there are different specialties that handle different conditions. There are four kinds of eye doctors including an ophthalmologist, an optometrist, an optician, and an orthoptist.

An Ophthalmologist is a specialized eye doctor, and will have the initials M.D. after their name. They can diagnose and treat the different types of eye disease, prescribe medications, and perform surgeries. They specialize in the anatomy, function, disease and surgical treatment when needed to the eye. They are the broadest spectrum of doctors as they can do anything from an eye exam and prescribing a set of glasses, to the most detailed eye surgery. When it comes time to visit an ophthalmologist, its usually after you have seen another kind of eye doctor and they have given you a referral to them for a specific eye need.

An Optometrist will have the initial O.D. after their name, and are considered a general eye doctor. They are in charge of diagnosing and treating diseases and disorders of the visual system. They can prescribe glasses, rehabilitate the eye, and diagnose and treat disease but do not perform surgeries. They are a great starting point when getting an eye exam if there is any concert to your vision if you have not already had any care or diagnoses to your eyes and vision.

An Optician can give an eye exam, and hand out eye wear such as glasses, contact lenses, low-vision aids and in some states prosthetic eyes. They can read the Rx's written by other eye doctors and dispense eye wear as requested through the prescription.

An Orthopist works under an ophthalmologist to diagnose and treat eye disorders such as binocular vision. They mostly work with children, and are usually in the ophthalmologist office working closely under their direction.