The eye doctor does much more than ask you to read a chart. Even though you may think of an ophthalmologist or optometrist as the medical expert who assesses whether you can see clearly or not, this pro doesn't just test your sight. While the eye doctor is your first call you can't see as sharply as you used to, understanding the other services that these specialists provide can help your overall health.
1. Treating infections. While you wouldn't visit the eye doctor if you wake up with a sore throat, the same isn't true for itchy eyes. Vision professionals can also diagnosis and treat pink eye. Pink eye is a general, or common, name for conjunctivitis. Bacteria and viruses cause the highly contagious form of this eye-related illness, according to the American Optometric Association. Even though your primary care physician can treat pink eye, so can your eye expert.
2. Giving allergy options. Your eyes are itchy, red and swollen. Does it sound like pink eye? It might be. But, it may also be an allergy. This doesn't always mean that you need to take a trip to the allergist. Your eye doctor can also diagnose and treat these types of allergies. Your doctor may recommend artificial tears, decongestants, oral antihistamines, corticosteroids or immunotherapy as treatments for eye allergies, notes the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
3. Easing your dry eyes. When the natural tears stop flowing you don't have to put up with dry eyes. Whether you need glasses, have contacts or are 20/20, the eye doctor can correct dry eye symptoms.
4. Providing surgical procedures. Some eye doctors can perform vision-related surgical procedures. These include correcting cataracts, treating glaucoma providing or LASIK surgery. That said, not every "eye doctor" is a surgeon. Ophthalmologists are physicians (medical doctors) who are licensed to perform surgical eye care. Optometrists and opticians are not medical doctors. Although these professionals can test your vision and treat other eye issues, they aren't trained or legally licensed to help you in the operating room.
5. Rehabbing low vision. Injuries, diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration and other issues may cause low vision. Low vision is a condition in which the patient can't see completely correctly, even with the use of glasses. Ophthalmologists can help this condition by providing rehabilitation services along with prescribing other assistive devices.
Whether you go to an ophthalmologist or optometrist, eye doctors like Peters Richard OD offer more options than just testing your vision. Depending on the type of professional that you see, your doctor can treat an array of eye-related issues that go well beyond giving you glasses or contacts.
Share7 January 2015
When my daughter began having academic problems in school and acting out, I knew that something wasn’t right. Her teachers wanted me to put her on ADD medications, but I didn’t think that that was the right course for us. I had serious doubts that ADD was what was causing her problems. I took her to several different specialists before discovering that her issues in school were actually do to a visual processing problem. The doctor recommended vision therapy, not medication, to help correct the problem and get her back on track. The exercises are really starting to pay off, and she’s showing great improvement.
