What is the purpose of Optometry?

What does a Doctor of Optometry do? When it comes to your eye health, you’ll be surprised to know that there are different kinds of eye doctors. The type of eye doctor you should see will depend on your needs. Optometrists are healthcare specialists who are licensed to examine, diagnose, and provide appropriate treatment for eye diseases and visual disorders. Before they were called optometrists, they were better known as ophthalmic opticians.

Optometrists share almost the same responsibilities as ophthalmologists, but the only difference is that an optometrist is not licensed to perform surgery. They can work in teaching institutions, private and public clinics, hospitals, or focus on research. However, majority of optometrists prefer to work in health centers and hospitals.

What is the role of an optometrist in a clinical setting?

Generally, the goal of optometrists is to offer a solution to patients who are diagnosed with eye disorders. However, before a solution is presented, patients will be asked to undergo a general eye examination. During this stage of the consultation, your optometrist will also ask you a series of questions regarding your medical history as well as your eye health. Next, your optometrist will check your eyes for visual acuity and refractive errors. After the assessment, your eye doctor will determine if you need contact lenses or glasses to achieve the proper vision.

Aside from checking and correcting vision problems, your optometrist also performs other tasks such as the following:

Detection of Eye Diseases

Optometrists use special tools and instruments to observe and examine your eye. They often use an ophthalmoscope to check for macular degeneration and glaucoma, as well as other diseases that could affect your eye health, like hypertension and diabetes. If you’re still having eye health issues, you will be asked to take other tests.

They are also licensed to prescribe drugs for eye diseases and disorders. They are authorized to prescribe drugs like analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines, and antibiotics.

Optometrists also prescribe contact lenses such as varifocal and toric lenses.

What is the role of an optometrist in the hospital?

The role and responsibilities of an optometrist in the hospital are wide and varied. They perform tasks similar to the clinical setting, but aside from that, they do additional roles, like providing outpatient care. Optometrists test your vision for sharpness and prescribe corrective lenses. They also operate a different type of equipment used to examine your eyes.

Some patients suffer from irreversible eyesight damage. Optometrists can offer low vision care medications to these patients to help them recover. They also provide patient education on visual exercises to help enhance their vision.

Furthermore, optometrists provide binocular vision care. They can customize vision therapy for patients who have binocular abnormalities.

Counseling their patients is also part of their job. Optometrists also offer to counsel patients who have cataracts. They also teach patients how to use their contact lenses properly. Their scope of responsibility doesn’t end there; they also review past medical records of their patients to analyze their current vision status. They also collaborate with other medical professionals like a pediatric ophthalmologist if the patient is a child.

How do optometrists serve society?

Aside from their work in the clinical and hospital setting, optometrists also provide significant contributions to our society by supporting awareness programs. Did you know that optometrists are involved in awareness programs? These programs help individuals recognize factors that are detrimental to their eye health. Optometrists also visit universities and schools, and work places to conduct eye exams and prescribe glasses and contact lenses.

How can an optometrist help you?

Optometrists are experts in improving vision care and eye health. They examine, diagnose, treat, and manage a wide range of eye diseases and disorders, as well as perceptual and binocular vision disorders. They are also trained and skilled to remove foreign bodies from your eyes, whether it’s in or below the cornea. They also provide independent management of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Takeaway

You only have one set of eyes. Therefore it is your responsibility to take care of them. So how do you care for your eyes? You should eat a diet that consists of fruits and vegetables and fish like tuna and salmon since they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also essential to maintain a healthy weight. According to the American Optometric Association, you are recommended to get an eye exam at least once every two years. Still, if you already have an existing eye problem, you should have your eyes checked more frequently.

Published by

Dr. Susan Sloan

Dr. Susan M Sloan is an Optometrist in Sarasota FL, who has been committed to providing professional, personal eye care to adult and children for over 30 years.