Not your Average Eye Clinic
Going to the eye doctor often means that you are undergoing an eye exam to see how well you see. Sometimes, going to the eye doctor means obtaining care for a specific condition, such as cataracts. Each situation requires a particular level of care. What many people don’t know is that this means they need to see a particular type of eye doctor.
Differentiating Between Two Options
General eye exams and the treatment of minor eye problems is often conducted in an eye clinic operated by a licensed optometrist. This eye doctor can perform certain tests that assess visual acuity. The dilated eye exam lets the optometrist look at the structures of the eye. The skills of the optometrist are obtained through 4 years of college followed by an additional 4 years of training.
The ophthalmologist has the same basic skillset as the optometrist, plus a little more. After the initial 4 years of college, ophthalmology education continues in medical school, and then through internship and residency programs. This extensive training takes the ophthalmologist through surgical eye procedures, sophisticated treatments, and complex diseases that affect the eyes. The ophthalmologist can diagnose and treat diabetic retinopathy, manage and treat cataracts, address chronic conditions such as dry eye syndrome, and perform laser eye procedures such as LASIK.
Typically, the optometrist is the first eye doctor that a person sees. In many cases, the optometrist is the only eye doctor that is needed to make sure that vision remains as clear and crisp as it should be. Ideally, a comprehensive eye exam will be obtained from an ophthalmologist at some point, simply due to the wider range of diagnostic testing that occurs in such an office.
Here’s the Good News!
Advanced Glaucoma Specialists has offices in Reading and Melrose that offer both the basic level of vision care and the higher level of care needed to assess and manage eye health. When you visit one of our friendly offices, you have access to the full spectrum: eye exams and prescription lenses through our optical shop, and eye services such as cataract surgery.
Is it time to see the eye doctor? Contact us for your visit.
