optometrist and ophthalmologist difference
A lot of people have no idea about the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist.

These two terms both refer to medical professionals who specialize in eye health but these two are very different. It has been a common mistake for people to find themselves in the wrong office because of the lack of knowledge between the two.

There are a number of people who just go to any one of the two because they think that there is only one type of eye doctor and this is where they are wrong. Optometrists and ophthalmologists have different functions and everyone should know the difference.

An optometrist is an eye doctor that specializes in vision.  An optometrist finished the study of optometry that studies everything that deals with vision. These doctors are the doctors that a person should look for when a person wants to correct his or her vision.

Anything that is vision related that does not require surgery can be done by an optometrist. Optometrists can prescribe contact lenses and glasses with a certain grade to help a person have better eyesight, including weekly contact lenses.

optometrist and ophthalmologist difference - eye doctors

Ophthalmologists are doctors of medicine who studied about a person’s eyes as a specialty. This branch of medicine is called ophthalmology and the doctors who finish this specialty are allowed to diagnose eye diseases and they are even allowed to perform surgery if the extent of the eye damage or disease requires surgery.

One way for a person to get better eyesight is with the help of laser surgery. Though it has something to do with vision, an ophthalmologist is the ideal person to do the job because it is related to surgery. Only ophthalmologists are allowed to do surgery so if a person feels eye pain of any sort an ophthalmologist is the person for the job.

However, ophthalmologists can also prescribe prescription eyewear. To protect the eyes from further damage, they often prescribe disposable contact lenses with UV protection.

But both doctors normally work together to make sure that the laser surgery goes perfectly.