I believe that every person at least once in their life has to visit an eye doctor. We can have numerous different problems with our eyes, and sometimes a person needs a doctor to simply check visual acuity, but it also happens that serious eye surgery is required. While many people require the help of eye doctors, not everyone knows that there are several types of them, including optometrists and ophthalmologists, each having special responsibilities.
I have always been curious about the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist and wanted to know whose practice is closer to my desirable job. To learn that, I shadowed an ophthalmologist in the field and gained an opportunity of getting an idea of his responsibilities and an overall perspective of ophthalmology. During my experience with Dr. Hakim, I was able to view several cases he was dealing with and observe how he treated the patients. One thing I realized was the focus of his schedule was mostly related to his specialty – glaucoma, and this aspect was of particular interest to me.
Generally, my observations allowed me to spot the primary difference between these two slightly various professions. While both are eye doctors, I researched that ophthalmologists are specialists in the field of eye health – they can create treatment plans, perform eye surgeries, and address various eye diseases, pathologies, and infections. At the same time, optometrists are primary care providers whose responsibilities are to casually check visual acuity, perform vision diagnostics, provide medical care, and refer to other doctors, especially ophthalmologists. Considering all this, I want to be part of the frontline team to help people in my community treat and manage eye disorders.