The three types of eye care professionals are optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians.
An optometrist is licensed to examine eyes and diagnose and treat eye problems.
An optician is not an eye doctor but rather a technician who specializes in fitting eyeglasses and contact lenses.
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Optometristsalso called doctors of optometry (OD)often act as primary eye care practitioners.
They can:
Their scope of practice varies by state.
An optometrist’s training consists of eight to nine years of education and training.
An ophthalmologist’s training and professional education typically span about 12 to 14 years.
What can an ophthalmologist do that an optometrist cannot?
Most people go to an optometrist for routine eye care.
Optician
The third common profession in the eye care industry is optician.
Opticians are not eye doctors and cannot give eye exams or prescribe treatments.
Instead, they are trained to grind and fabricate eyeglasses, and dispense, adjust, and repair eyeglasses.
They assist patients in finding the best eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Which One Do I Need?
Opticians generally work with optometrists and ophthalmologists, often sharing an office.
Summary
The three types of eye care professionals are optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians.
Optometrists provide routine eye care such as annual eye exams and are licensed to diagnose and treat eye conditions.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is an ophthalmologist vs optometrist?
National Conference of State Legislatures.Practitioner: optometrists.
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.ASCO residency titles and descriptions.
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.Difference between an ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician.
American College of Surgery.Ophthalmology.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ophthalmology subspecialists.
