Which Kind Of Eye Care Specialist Should You Visit?

Eye care is one of the most crucial tasks for an individual, for which there need to be regular checks done at a reliable and reputed eye checkup clinic, and immediate treatment and steps taken in case of an error found. This is why you need a qualified and appropriate eye healthcare provider. Although "optician" is the general term used for an eye care specialist, there are many different kinds of eye care specialists available, each qualifying to treat a different kind of eye issue. Ophthalmologists and optometrists are two kinds of eye specialists that are different from an optician. Although for a layman, the word optician implies any and every professional who deals with eye issues, a professional will have a particular medical term alongside his name defining what he actually does. Therefore, it is important that you know and understand what each medical term defines so that you know which eye care provider to approach for your condition.

Ophthalmologist

An ophthalmologist is an eye care provider that specializes in the medical and surgical care of the eyes and the entire visual system of the body. He also deals with the prevention of eye diseases and eye injuries. These practitioners could either be doctors of medicine, who focus on disease-specific diagnosis and treatment; or doctors of osteopathy, who focus on the loss of functioning in different body parts due to the disease. Whichever category they may belong to, they undergo four years of pre-medical undergraduate education, four years of medical school, one year of internship, and at least three years of specialized medical and surgical training before getting their degree. Once they attain the degree successfully, they are licensed to diagnose, treat, and manage all the conditions of the eye, meaning they provide complete eye care. Their services include eye examinations, diagnosis and treatment of eye ailments, medical eye care, and surgical eye care.

Optometrist

An optometrist is one who can examine, diagnose, treat, and manage only certain diseases and disorders of the visual system of the body. They are doctors of optometry, who have completed pre-professional undergraduate education, and four years of professional education at a credited college of optometry. They may also undergo an additional one year optional residency in a specialized field of the visual system. Optometrists can examine the internal and external structure of the eyes to detect various kinds of eye diseases like cataracts and retinal disorders. However, they cannot perform surgery. After they attain their degree, optometrists are licensed to examine the eyes to determine the presence of vision problems and sharpness issues. They can prescribe eye glasses, contact lenses, eye exercises, and medications to treat such ailments, but do not deal with surgery.

Optician

Opticians are eye care providers who work with ophthalmologists and optometrists to provide eye glass related services. They work in collaboration to provide complete patient care before, during, and after exams, procedures, and surgeries. They have a two year technical degree after which they are only allowed to analyze and interpret eye prescriptions, and determine the lenses that best meet the patient’s requirements; but they cannot prescribe medications and surgeries to the patients.

Now, do you realize how wrong you were when you were considering opticians to be all those who provided eye care! So now, you know the clear difference between all three categories of eye care providers.

• Ophthalmologists are those who can provide complete eye care including diagnosis, treatment, medications, and surgeries.
• Optometrists are those who can diagnose only certain eye problems and prescribe medications, therapies, and exercises for the same.
• Opticians can only help to prescribe the right kinds of eye glasses and contact lenses, but not medications and surgeries.

So, never make a mistake again! However, whenever you are looking for qualified eye care hospital in Mumbai, you can firmly choose Arohi Hospital, the leading eye specialist in Andheri West Mumbai, as this choice can never be a mistake, and requires no second thoughts!