Who is an optometrist?
Doctors of Optometry (ODs) are primary eye care providers. These physicians, commonly known as optometrists, are trained to evaluate, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and abnormalities of the visual system, the eye, and adjacent structures. They also identify and treat relevant systemic ailments that impact the eye.
Advancements in technology have aided the profession in broadening its scope and improving efficacy—the various developments in eye care and medical technology aid optometrists in delivering better treatment to their patients. For example, in recent years, the types of contact lenses and lens treatments have grown and improved. New techniques like laser surgery to repair vision and disorders like glaucoma have given patients more options.
What do optometrists do?
Optometrists are the primary health care practitioners who advise patients on new technology and therapies to treat their visual system. The functions of optometrists include:
- Diagnosis, examination, treatment, and management of diseases, injuries, and abnormalities affecting the visual system, eyes, and related structures
- Advise patients on surgical and non-surgical options for meeting their visual needs
- Detect systemic disorders that affect the eyes, such as diabetes or high blood pressure
- Prescribe drugs or prescriptions for eyeglasses or contact lens
- Carry out minor surgical procedures
- Provide low-vision rehabilitation and vision therapy
- Assist patients in post-surgery recovery
What kind of education and training do optometrists receive?
Aspiring optometrists must first complete their graduation and earn a bachelor’s degree in pre-med or science. They must then enroll in a four-year optometry doctoral program by clearing the Optometry Admission Test (OAT).
After clearing the optometry program and earning a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree, students must take the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) exams. Before beginning their practice, all optometrists must clear a stringent state-level licensure examination.
Some optometrists prefer to study and train further to specialize in a specific area of optometry after gaining their license by completing a specialty fellowship. Alternatively, they can take up additional clinical training. Â
Ophthalmologists and dispensing opticians are not to be confused with optometrists.Â
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors specializing in eye surgery and detecting and treating eye diseases.
On the other hand, dispensing opticians are technicians who fit eyeglasses and contact lenses according to prescriptions drawn by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist.
Optometrists work in hospitals, the military, and retail optical stores. Many optometrists partner with one or more other optometrists or ophthalmologists to create a private or group practice. Further, some optometrists work in research at a university or for a firm.
What is the role of an optometrist in your healthcare?
Many eye illnesses can result in permanent vision loss if not detected and treated early. For this reason, going for a routine eye exam is an excellent preventive practice. An eye exam includes a range of tests and involves a lot. An eye exam is about much more than testing a person's vision and calculating their eyeglass prescription (refraction). Routine health insurance usually includes -
1. Comprehensive eye exams for children ages 18 and up and seniors ages 65 and up
2. Medically necessary/urgent care for sudden vision impairments; red-eye, infection, foreign body removal; chronic eye disease management (Glaucoma, macular degeneration, inflammatory conditions)
3. Monitor the patients taking specific systemic drugs like Plaquenil and tamoxifen
4. Medical eye surgery follow-up visits
Identifying the right physicians is crucial to receiving the best patient care. Optometrists are trained specialists who can collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as ophthalmologists, general practitioners, nurses, and pediatricians, to provide the best possible care to patients. Like other healthcare professionals, optometrists must complete specialized training before treating patients.Â
What are the conditions that optometrists treat?
You can consult an optometrist if you are suffering from any of the following conditions -
i) Astigmatism: Astigmatism usually materializes as blurred vision, headaches, squinting, eyestrain, etc. It results from mismatched curves of the cornea or the lens inside the eye. Astigmatism is a treatable weakness of the eye. It is a common condition that can exist at birth. It can also be due to anisometropia - a combination of nearsightedness and farsightedness.
ii) Myopia: This eye disorder creates difficulty for a person to focus on distant objects. Commonly known as nearsightedness, the condition requires eyeglasses, contact lenses, corneal refractive therapy, etc.
iii) Hyperopia (farsightedness): This is when nearby objects appear blurry, but things afar appear clearly visible. This condition is usually present at birth or is inherited.
An optometrist is also qualified to diagnose and treat conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal tears, hemorrhage, and tumors. They also help detect early indicators of significant medical disorders like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease during an examination.
When should one get the eyes examined?
Examining the eyes through routine tests is the best way to identify and treat vision issues that may crop up without our knowledge. We should examine our eyes whenever we suffer injury to the eyes or any symptoms of vision problems. It is typically recommended that children should get their eyes checked during their first year of life and every one or two years after that until age 55. Those above 55 should get their eyes tested every year.
If you wear glasses or contacts or use a visual aid of any kind, it is better to get routine eye checkups more often. An optometrist or primary care provider can advise you on the preferred frequency of such tests.
Why should one visit an optometrist?
Some people believe it is only necessary to visit an optometrist when they have vision problems. This is not so. Routine check-ups with an optometrist can help detect eye illnesses and conditions early and preserve your vision.
You must see an optometrist if you take prescription medication that affects your eyes or have a family history of eye disease or vision loss. Similarly, if you have a chronic illness such as diabetes, you have a greater risk of eye disease, so visiting an optometrist will help detect these illnesses or deteriorating vision. You should also see an optometrist if you think you need glasses or contacts or if you wear corrective lenses.
Best optometrists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Knowing and acknowledging your eye symptoms is the first step toward recovery. The next is to find an eye doctor with whom you share a rapport. Zocdoc can help you search for top-rated optometrists in your neighborhood in Philadelphia.
At Zocdoc, we care deeply about finding the right provider to meet a patient's needs. With the help of the Zocdoc platform, you can easily find a high-quality optometrist in Philadelphia in just a few clicks. You can filter optometrists based on location, insurance network, availability, and other preferences.Â
We understand the importance of patients making informed choices about their medical providers. This is why Zocdoc maintains details profiles of healthcare professionals in its database. These profiles show verified information about a provider's education, training, experience, hospital affiliations, specialization, honors, awards, and accreditation on their profile.Â
The profiles also feature verified reviews and ratings by past patients that you can refer to while deciding on a provider. You can also find information such as the languages spoken by the physicians, their gender, and whether they treat children.
You can also book an appointment on your phone or any other digital device directly on the platform. You can book an in-person or online appointment as needed. Look for a purple button on the profiles of optometrists who offer video consultations.Â
Depending on the optometrist's availability, you can book an appointment during office hours, before 10 am, after 5 pm, or even on weekends.
Booking appointments on Zocdoc is safe, secure, and free.
Vision issues in children in Philadelphia
In a vision screening conducted by the Wills Eye Vision Screen Program, 13.1 percent of 18,974 children had incorrect refractive errors. About 9.4 percent of children had myopia, 2.4 percent were diagnosed with hyperopia, 7.8 percent had astigmatism, and 4.5 percent had anisometropia.
A study conducted to evaluate cases of glaucoma-related diagnosis with 1649 participants found the detection rate as high as 39.1 percent for glaucoma-related diagnoses.
Sources:
ExploreHealthCareers
National Library of Medicine[1]
National Library of Medicine [2]
WebMd[1]
WebMD[2]
Cleveland Clinic
