Who is an optometrist?
An optometrist is a doctor who examines, diagnoses, treats, and manages eye disorders and diseases. They play a significant role in a person's overall well-being and health. They also detect systemic diseases and treat their ocular manifestations. In addition to performing vision tests and eye exams, optometrists can fit and prescribe contact lenses or glasses.
Their training consists of eight to nine years of education, which includes four years of undergraduate study leading to a bachelor's degree. Following that, they attend optometry school for another four years. Sometimes, they also enroll for one or two years of residency training in a particular specialty.
What are the different optometrist subspecialties?
Following are the different optometrist subspecialties, each of which has intensive training in a particular area:
- Ocular disease optometrists: They detect various diseases that affect the back and front of the eye, including macular degeneration and glaucoma.
- Cornea and contact lens optometrists diagnose and treat cornea diseases and conduct contact lens fittings, which may include using specialized contact lenses.
- Pediatric optometrists treat vision disorders in children, provide vision therapy, and perform routine eye exams. They also diagnose and treat binocular vision.
- Low-vision optometrists use tools and technologies to treat patients with visual impairment. Surgery, contact lenses, and glasses cannot usually control such impairment.
- Geriatrics optometrist: A geriatrics optometrist provides eye care to older adults. They diagnose and treat eye problems, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
- Behavioral optometrists: They focus on providing visual therapy to improve visual function by using special lenses and prisms.
- Neuro-optometrist: A Neuro-optometrist diagnoses and treats brain-related vision problems, which include vision loss conditions associated with trauma or neurological diseases.
Signs you need to see an optometrist
All adults between 18 and 60 should see an eye care doctor for a comprehensive eye check-up once every two years, regardless of whether they wear glasses. Those over 65 should make it a part of their annual healthcare routine. Apart from that, you must see an optometrist near you if you experience one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
- Blurred vision: While blurry vision most commonly indicates vision problems, it is also a sign of other severe health conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
- Frequent headaches: Chronic daily headaches can have many causes, with vision problems being one of them.
- Double vision: In this condition (also known as diplopia), one tends to see two images of everything around them. It could suggest cornea, lens, retina, nerves, or brain abnormalities. Some commonly associated conditions include cataracts, astigmatism, dry eye, keratoconus, and stroke.
- Eye pain: Mild to severe pain around or deep within the eyes can occur due to infections, allergies, foreign objects in the eye, inflammation, improper use of contact lenses, or excessive screen time. However, it could also indicate a more serious health problem, such as acute angle-closure glaucoma or ocular tumors.
- Night blindness: Having difficulty seeing at night in low light conditions is known as night blindness. It is a symptom of severe eye conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, or age-related macular degeneration.
- Dry or itchy eyes: Dry eyes are commonly associated with aging. Women may experience this symptom due to hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause. Even environmental conditions, certain medications, and excessive screen time can cause a lack of moisture in the eyes. While it may not always indicate anything serious, it is essential to address it to prevent the risk of eye infections, inflammation, corneal ulcers, and vision loss.
Some other signs to not ignore include flashers, floaters, halos, light sensitivity, eye infection, eye fatigue, and foreign objects in the eye.
How do you keep your eyes healthy?
Maintaining healthy eyes involves several practices:
- Regular exercise: Regular physical activity helps prevent diseases that can lead to vision problems. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol. Besides, regular exercise promotes overall health along with eye health.
- Maintaining healthy weight: Keeping your weight within a healthy range is essential. Excess weight or obesity raises the chances of developing diabetes, which, in turn, heightens the risk of diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
- Protective eyewear: Wear sunglasses that block UV rays to guard your eyes from deadly sun exposure. Go for protective eyewear during activities posing risks of eye injuries, such as sports or DIY projects.
- Proper screen use: When using digital screens, follow the 20-20-20 rule: At 20-minute intervals, focus on something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
- Healthy diet: To support eye health, consume a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods like deep yellow and leafy greens, salmon, tuna, and halibut can provide essential nutrients and improve eye health.
- Quit smoking: Smoking elevates the risk of several eye concerns like age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Quitting smoking can help preserve eye health.
- Manage chronic conditions: Already having chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension necessitates their management as they can impact eye health if left unmanaged.
- Proper contact lens care: If you wear contact lenses, follow your eye care professional's instructions for proper wear, cleaning, and storage to prevent eye infections.
- Be aware of additional risk factors: Aging increases susceptibility to age-related eye conditions and diseases. Understanding these risk factors is crucial, as modifying certain behaviors might help reduce one's risk.
Remember to talk to an eye care professional for tailored advice and recommendations for your needs and circumstances.
How to prepare for an optometrist appointment?
Being prepared will enable you to get the most out of your optometrist appointment. Begin by creating a list of all your medications, especially eye medications. It will also help to note down all your questions so you remember to ask them.
You should also know your family's eye health history so you can respond to your optometrist if asked. Take a copy of any prescriptions and carry your contact lenses and eyeglasses. Call your optometrist's office to know if they will dilate your eyes. If so, you should bring sunglasses with you. Dilation will affect your vision. You will need someone to drive you home, so ask a loved one to accompany you to the appointment.
What to expect at an optometrist visit?
The optometrist may ask about your general medical history and any vision issues you may have. They may also ask whether there is a family history of visual problems, and you may have to tell them about any medications you are taking.
They will then use a series of tests to check your eyes and may monitor eye health to look for issues or vision loss through a comprehensive eye exam. They may use a phoropter to measure vision during a visual acuity test. It will help them to see how well you see the details of a symbol or letter from a specific distance. They can also detect if you have any color blindness through a color blindness test.
Optometrists often perform ocular motility testing to check your eye's movement and ensure it can easily follow a moving thing. Using a depth perception test, they may check whether you can see objects three-dimensionally. If you are getting fitted for contact lenses, they will measure your cornea curvature. They may also use a tonometer to detect glaucoma and measure eye pressure.
Optometrists perform specialized exams like pupil dilation and offer treatment based on their results. Prescribing contact lenses, glasses, and medications like eye drops and providing vision therapy are a few treatment options.
Tips to lower strain when working on your laptop or computer
Are you someone who works long hours looking at the screen? Here are a few tips you can follow to keep your eyes healthy:
Many people place the computer or laptop screen very close to their eyes when working. Extended working hours in such a position can dry your eyes and increase the risk of vision problems. Place the screen at arm's length from your eyes. The top of the screen should be just below your eyesight so your eyelids stay slightly closed when focusing on the computer screen. It keeps the eyes lubricated, avoids dryness, reduces strain, and keeps the eyes healthy.
Lights and brightness are more important than you think. A dark workspace or inadequate screen brightness often causes eye strain and headaches. The room or your workspace should have adequate lighting. The screen brightness should be appropriate to avoid squinting. Adjust the light and brightness so your eyes feel more comfortable when focused on the screen.
More often, we are so engrossed in our work that our eyes stay focused on the screen for hours. It may strain our eyes and cause headaches. Most optometrists suggest taking your eyes away from the screen for a few seconds every few minutes to give them a much-needed break, thus improving lubrication. You could even get up from the chair and walk around or stretch your body for a few minutes before returning to the screen.
We often forget to blink when working on the screen, which causes our eyes to dry. Regular blinking helps restore moisture in your eyes and avoids pressure on them.
If the letters on the screen are too small to read, increase the font size. Bringing your eyes closer to the screen will only add extra strain and may harm your eye health. A larger screen may also help.
How can you find the best optometrist near you in Portland, OR?
Visiting an optometrist ensures your vision health remains good now and in the future. However, finding the best optometrist in Portland, Oregon, may sometimes be challenging. Zocdoc aims to provide the best healthcare providers to patients in all aspects of healthcare, and optometry care is no different.
You can search for the providers by entering your condition, preferred time, and location. Additionally, you can check Zocdoc's insurance checker if you need clarification about your policy's coverage. Ensuring the security of your information is paramount to us. We adhere to industry-leading standards in safeguarding your data.
If you want to find a provider who accepts your insurance, add your insurance information (your specific coverage and provider) on the Zocdoc search. It will help you see providers who accept your plan. You can find accurate results from in-network optometrists. Check out Zocdoc's patient help center for more information and solutions related to insurance. Explore further details on how Zocdoc manages data and privacy here.
You may filter these search results based on the providers' gender, hospital affiliations, languages they speak, and whether or not they treat children. Each provider on Zocdoc has a profile that includes their education, qualifications, training, experience, professional memberships, certifications, and licenses, among other essential details. You may also access verified reviews and ratings from previous patients. Once you have chosen the best optometrist near you for your unique condition, based on your preference, you can schedule both in-person or video appointments on Zocdoc.
All bookings on Zocdoc are easy, free, and secure.
Optometrist statistics for Oregon
As per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, there were nearly 520 optometrists in Oregon. Optometrists can help people with poor vision, visual impairment, or even vision loss and improve their quality of life.
The American Foundation for the Blind shows an increase in the prevalence of vision difficulties in Oregon from 2017 (90,963) to 2019 (101,405). Approximately 1,241 and 412 Oregon children under age 5 had vision difficulties in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The same study shows that 5,413 aged 5-17, 12,362 aged 18-34, 36,017 aged 35-64, 17,698 aged 65-74, and 29,503 aged 75 and older had vision difficulties in 2019.
Data synthesized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2012 through 2016 showed that around 98,000 people had reported having blindness or severe difficulty seeing, even with glasses. Another report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that in 2017, almost 0.88% of adults aged 18 to 24, 0.84% aged 25 to 29, and 0.82% aged 30 to 34 had vision loss in Oregon. Additionally, approximately 3.21% aged 65 to 69, 5.01% aged 70 to 74, 6.98% aged 75 to 79, and 19.73% aged 85 and older faced vision loss in 2017.
Sources
Verywell Health[1]
Verywell Health[2]
Healthline[1]
Healthline[2]
American Optometric Association[1]
American Optometric Association[2]
WebMD[1]
WebMD[2]
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
American Foundation for the Blind
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[1]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[2]
Optometrists Network
Visionary Eye Centre
MedlinePlus
Hartford Healthcare
Verywell Health
