Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that studies eyesight and eye health.
Therefore, the ophthalmologist is a doctor specialized in the knowledge of the ocular anatomy and in the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of all currently known eye diseases.
THE OFTALMOLOGIST IS NOT AN OPTOMETRIST AND EVEN AN OPTICIAN
Ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician are three very different professional figures.
The first is a doctor who can establish diagnoses, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, plan drug therapies and finally perform surgery.
The second is a graduate in optometry, therefore he is not a doctor and, compared to the latter, he has limited preparation and faculties. He can, in fact, prescribe glasses or contact lenses for the correction of certain vision problems, but he cannot prescribe drugs or perform surgery.
Finally, the third is a technician prepared to build glasses, to give them the right set-up, to correct faulty frames, etc. In general, it is consulted after an ophthalmological examination or an optometric check, as it cannot diagnose or treat vision disorders.
SUBSECECIALIZATIONS OF AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST
Thanks also to medical advances, today's ophthalmologists have the opportunity to further specialize in one area of their discipline and become experts in:
- A specific part of the eye, for example the retina or the cornea
- A particular pathology, for example glaucoma
- Visual disturbances in young patients ( pediatric ophthalmology )
- Special surgical methods, for example the myopia intervention
