To get treatment related to the eyes including diseases and disorders concerning the same a patient goes to an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is different from optometrist and optician.
Introduction
The Ophthalmologist is an eye specialist who treats diseases and disorders related to eye problems. He is a specialist in vision care. They are specialist who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of eye-related problems which includes performing an eye-related surgery as well as giving prescription about eyeglasses that one needs to wear. They are considered as doctors in the field of vision. They need to complete their training and education period in order to be considered as an ophthalmologist. They receive an education from a four-year course and then have to undergo training for at least two years. They can also recognize various underlying diseases present in the person as they have studied the medical field.
Training and certification of an ophthalmologist
An ophthalmologist needs to receive a basic medical degree from a medical school and then should study post-graduation in ophthalmology. They then need to do an internship for one year to gain experience. They also undergo a three-year residency training in which they learn to treat and diagnose diseases related to eyes. They also need to spend two to three years on training for a particular specialization in the eye field. An Ophthalmologist is usually certified doctors and can treat and diagnose patients related to their field. Training and internships done by the person refine their skills as an eye specialist.
There are other subfields present in the wide field of eye specialization. In order, to decide which specialist to visit one must know about them too. The sub-specialties in ophthalmologist deals with a particular part of the eyes.
Ophthalmology subspecialists
A comprehensive ophthalmologist is a person who specializes in all the aspects of the eye including the treatment and diagnosis of the eye. They also have additional training to provides the best treatment for particular eye diseases like glaucoma or cataract. An ophthalmologist suggests a subspecialist for proper treatment in that particular area.
- Cornea– In front of iris and pupil there is a presence of clear and dome-shaped covering known as the cornea. A subspecialist in cornea treats eye problems related to the cornea or corneal eye diseases. They also perform LASIK and corneal transplants. They also handle various serious and complicated conditions which include lens fitting.
- Retina– There is a presence of light-sensitive tissues present inside the eyes on which the image is formed. This part of the eye is known as the retina. The retinal subspecialists treat all the diseases related to the retina part of the eye. They also treat macular degeneration and diabetic eye diseases of the patients. They also perform surgery on retina if it gets torn or detached.
- Glaucoma– It is an eye-related disease which affects the optic nerve present in the eyes. The optic nerve connects the brain to the eyes. The build-up of any kind of pressure inside the eyes can damage the optic nerve. An ophthalmologist with sub-specialization in glaucoma can treat and perform surgery to cure the disease.
- Paediatric – An ophthalmologist who treat eye conditions of the infants and children come under sub-specialty of paediatrics. They generally treat refractive error and childhood disorders and conditions.
- Oculoplastic– They are the subspecialists who repair damaged and problems present in the eyelids of a person. They also treat the structure present around the eyeball as well as the tear drainage system. They also help in providing facial injections to improve the facial look and functions.
- Neurology– Ophthalmologists who have sub-specialization in the neurology treat all the nerve-related problems in the eyes. They take care of eye problems linked with the brain, nerves and muscles. They also treat various optic nerve problems which may lead to vision loss, double vision, abnormal eye movement, eyelid abnormalities and unequal pupil size. These types of eye diseases are caused due to various other diseases present in the body like brain tumours ,thyroid eye disease and many more.
- Cataract– This type of subfield is not included in sub-specialization as the general ophthalmologist is capable of performing surgery of cataract. They usually study more about the disease but are not considered as subspecialists. They also tend to perform surgery related to refractive error.
- Ocular oncology– The ophthalmologist having this specialty deals with eye cancer. They treat and diagnose the eye cancer and provide a detailed guided treatment to the patients suffering from the disease.
- Uveitis and immunology– The ophthalmologist who has received a specialization in this field treat inflammation of the iris, ciliary body and choroid of the eye which is caused due to immune-mediated ocular conditions. They also have knowledge regarding ocular immunomodulatory therapy.
Difference between ophthalmologists, optometrists and optician
- An Ophthalmologist is a person who has a doctorate in providing treatment and diagnosis for people suffering from eye diseases. They are considered as medical doctors and are healthcare professionals.
- An Optometrist is a person who is also a health care professional in the eye field. They are not considered as medical doctors. They perform a physical evaluation of the eye and are not allowed to do any eye surgery. They also are forbidden from prescribing drugs to the patients. They need to have a doctor of optometry for working in the field. An Optometrist can sometimes perform some basic eye surgery but they lack range offered to the ophthalmologists. Optometrists can suggest corrective eye glasses and can conduct various eye exams.
- An Optician is not professionals in the eye field. Their role is limited to conduct eye test or to provide prescribed eye lenses to the patient as prescribed by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Opticians are not permitted to treat or diagnose of any eye conditions.
Other helpful people form the team of an ophthalmologist. They include ophthalmic medical assistant, technologists, nurse and ophthalmic photographer. They may not hold a basic doctor’s degree but have a proper specialization in their field. The ophthalmic medical assistant role is to help ophthalmologist with the conduction of tests and also helps them in the examination of patients. The technologists help in assisting to doctor while performing surgery as they are trained to use complicated machines used in surgery. An Ophthalmic registered nurse is a person who has received nursing training in the field of ophthalmology. They help the doctor in performing many tasks including help in performing surgery. They also assist in performing many technical tasks. The ophthalmic photographer usually takes photos of the patient’s eye condition and documents them for an ophthalmologist to study.
Medical eye exam becomes necessary as the age progresses as eyes become more prone to diseases. It is always advisable to visit ophthalmologist whenever an eye problem or any vision-related condition is arising. It is better to get treated at an early stage. Basic vision test can be done by an optometrist but for a detailed version, it’s better to visit an ophthalmologist. The eye lenses and glasses suggested by the ophthalmologist can be brought from an optician. Eye conditions can also be caused due to various other health conditions and proper treatment can help doctor save your eyesight from getting worse. Many other factors like high blood pressure (hypertension treatment) and having diabetes (diabetes treatment) also affect eyesight. Vision changes are difficult to detect at very early stages.
The best way to treat your eyes is to visit your eye care professional and get your eyes checked regularly. He will be able to assess the best method of treatment for your eye ailment. Visit our website Eyemantra. To book an appointment call at +91-8851044355. Or mail us at eyemantra1@gmail.com.Our other services include Retina Surgery, Specs Removal, Cataract Surgery, and many more.
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