Eye Specialist

All three types of eye care specialists play an important role in maintaining your eye health and vision. Ophthalmologists and optometrists are eye doctors who diagnose and treat issues that affect your eyes. Opticians help you choose the right glasses, contacts or other corrective lenses after your eye doctor gives you a prescription.

1. What is an eye care specialist?

Eye care specialists are healthcare providers who are experts in taking care of your eyes and vision. They see people of all ages for everything from routine eye exams to complex issues, including eye surgeries.

Lots of people call their eye care specialist their eye doctor. Only certain types of eye care specialists are medical doctors (MDs), but it’s common to refer to any provider who takes care of your eyes as your eye doctor.

2. How do I choose an eye care specialist?

Which type of eye care specialist you need to see depends on which symptoms you’re experiencing and which issues or conditions need to be addressed.

You’ll probably visit an optometrist for your routine eye exam every few years. They can also diagnose and treat the most common conditions that affect your eyes.

You’ll need to visit an ophthalmologist if you need eye surgery. They can also provide all of your regular eye care, too, including performing eye exams and giving you prescriptions for glasses and contacts.