Difference between Optician, Optometrist & Ophthalmologist

Medicine and its profession seem complex to laymen like us. First, it takes years to decode the big word and how to pronounce it, by the time we reach to understand what it does, you are fixed already. If you are also like me or a young medical aspirant looking for a way to understand these jargon terms, then let me break it down.

Eye doctors are of many types but the most common terms that are thrown around are optician, optometrist, and sometimes if you are good with pronunciation or British then ophthalmologist. These professionals specialise in eyes but which one you need based on your condition or which one you’d want to be is a little ambiguous.

Here’s a small summary to get basic information and differences among these three major professions in eye care:

• Ophthalmologists handle the serious condition of the eye like eye examination, serious eye diseases, and diagnosis & treatment of eye condition with diabetes or arthritis. It offers medical and surgical eye care altogether.
• An optometrist renders primary eye care service and conducts examinations. Their major task lies in seeing any changes in the eye and offering a solution. It performs eye tests, checks reflective conditions like myopia and hyperopia, prescribes glasses, and detects eye problems, injuries, and abnormalities.
• An optician doesn’t offer eye tests or surgical operations. They check a prescription, adjust and repair glasses and lenses, assist with different lens selection and guide about frames.

Let’s get to know about them individually- keep reading!

What Does an Ophthalmologist Do?

An ophthalmologist is a medically trained doctor who has completed their 5 to 6 years in achieving a general medical degree. They also undergo a 2 year foundation training followed by a 5 to 7 years of training in management of various eye conditions and diagnosis detection. Some of their eye care services typically include:

• Eye exams and vision services
• Medical eye care treatment such as iritis, glaucoma and chemical burns
• They perform diagnosis and treatment of a lot of eye issues that are related to other diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.
• Surgical eye care for crossed eyes, trauma, glaucoma and cataracts.
• Plastic surgery to smooth out the patient’s wrinkles or raise droopy eyelids.

What Does an Optometrist Do?

An optometrist undergoes a training session for 3 to 4 years- they don’t get a doctor of optometry degree. Instead, they get a Bachelor of Science Degree in Optometry (BSc) or Masters of Science in Optometry (MSc). Some of the job roles include:

They check vision

Prescribe corrective lenses

They are responsible for monitoring some eye conditions that are related to diabetes (and some other health issues)

Provide vision therapy and low-vision aids

They treat and take care of eye conditions like glaucoma and dry eyes

At times, both ophthalmologists and optometrists work in collaboration to pamper your vision.

What Does an Optician Do?

An optician doesn’t conduct eye exams- they are not eye doctors. But, they complete their diploma course or a 1 to 2 year degree. Apart from that, an optician makes sure to:

Check your lens prescriptions

They take the facial measurements on the glass wearers

Adjust and provide frames, contact lenses. Besides that, they can repair your glasses as well

They check products that include eyeglass lenses as well as contacts

They are good at recommending frames and lenses according to your needs and requirements.

Tips to Choose an Eye Doctor

You can get recommendations from your family, friends or doctor (whoever is examining your eye health in the initial stage).

Make sure to learn their experience level in this field.

Check out their professional credentials.

Go through some of the patient testimonials.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the points to be noted while understanding the differences between an ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician. We, at Specscart, offer free eye tests in our stores. Book an appointment with us and that’s it- we promise to take care of the rest of the things.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-doctors-optometrists-ophthalmologists
https://www.arohieye.in/blog/6-tips-to-choose-the-best-ophthalmologist-for-your-eye-treatment/