Care
Procedures & terminology
Terminology and definitions
oph·thal·mol·o·gy — The branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, functions, pathology, and treatment of the eye. The scientific study of the eye, its diseases, and their treatment.
An ophthalmologist is a physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery, who specializes in all aspects of ophthalmic care. This specialist’s education includes four years of college, four years of medical school, one or more years of general medical experience, and four or more years studying the normal eye and diseases and surgery of the eye in a hospital-based residency program.
[An ophthalmologist is sometimes misspelled as opthalmogist or ophthamologist or any variation of the alphabets in this word and the branch ophthalmology is misspelled as opthalmogy or ophthamology]
Ophthalmologist, optometrist, and optician — what’s the difference
According to AAO, “The distinction between ophthalmology and optometry is a frequent source of confusion. In addition to the fact that both are concerned with eye care, several other factors contribute to this misunderstanding. One is the fact that optometrists are often referred to as ‘eye doctors’ although, unlike ophthalmologists, they do not have medical degrees.”
An Optometrist receives a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree; he or she is licensed to practice optometry, not medicine. The practice of optometry traditionally involves examining the eye for the prescription and dispensing of corrective lenses and detection and non-surgical management of certain limited eye diseases.
In comparison, the scope of an ophthalmologist’s practice is much broader.
An Ophthalmologist is a Medical Doctor (M.D.) who specializes in all aspects of eye care including diagnosis, management and surgery of ocular diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist receives a minimum of 12 years of education beyond high school, which typically includes four years of college, four years of medical school, one or more years of general medical or surgical training, and three or more years in a hospital-based eye residency program.
An Optician adjusts and fits optical products such as glasses. Training may be informal, on-the-job, formal apprenticeship, or college-level opticianry programs.
Board certified — what does that mean?
Board certification is voluntary. A Board certified physician, after completing residency training in their specialty, has passed an exam and met all the requirements established by their Board. You can verify current Board status at www.abms.org.
Care we focus on
Adults
- Eye Exams
- Glasses & contact lens evaluation
- Cataract evaluation and surgery
- Lid and orbital lesions
- Emergency eye care
- Dry eye, blurry & double vision
Kids and teens
- Kid-friendly eye exams
- Glasses prescriptions
- Contact lens fitting
- School checkups
Seniors
- Cataract evaluations & surgery
- Diabetes and glaucoma care
- DMV forms