Types of Eye Doctors

What is an eye doctor?

Eye doctors are healthcare professionals who are experts in taking care of your eyes and vision. They see people of all ages for everything from routine eye exams to complex issues, including eye surgeries.

Only certain types of eye care specialists are medical doctors (MDs), but it’s common to refer to any specialist who takes care of your eyes as your eye doctor.

You should see an eye doctor every few years to have your eyes examined and your vision checked.

What are the types of eye doctors?

There are four main types of eye specialists:

• Ophthalmologists. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of osteopathy (DOs). They go to medical school and choose to specialize in eyes. They can diagnose and treat any condition that affects your eyes and vision, and they’re the only ones that can perform surgery.
• Optometrists. Doctors of optometry (OD), or optometrists, go to optometry school. They can diagnose and treat lots of common eye diseases and vision problems, but they can’t perform surgery.
• Opticians. Opticians are eye care specialists who help you choose the right eyeglasses, contact lenses or other vision correction devices.
• Ocularists. Ocularists are eye specialists who provide care to anyone who needs a prosthetic eye. They specialize in creating and maintaining prosthetic eyes.

What do eye doctors treat?

Both ophthalmologists and optometrists can treat the most common conditions that affect your vision, including:

• Astigmatism
• Diplopia (double vision)
• Dry eye
• Low vision
• Myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Presbyopia and other age-related eye problems

If you need more advanced medical care, or if you need surgery, you should see an ophthalmologist.

Opticians and ocularists work with your eye doctor to provide the care you need.

How do I choose an eye care specialist?

The type of eye specialist you need to see depends on which symptoms you’re experiencing and which issues or conditions you need to address:

• You’ll probably visit an optometrist for your routine eye exam every few years. They can also diagnose and treat the most common conditions that affect your eyes. They specialize in glasses and contacts.
• You’ll need to visit an ophthalmologist if you need advanced care, or if you need eye surgery. They can also provide all your regular eye care, too, including performing general eye exams and giving you prescriptions for glasses.
• Opticians usually work with optometrists and ophthalmologists. They can check the fit of your eyeglasses or contact lenses and show you how to wear them safely.
• Ocularists work with other eye care specialists, as well. You’ll see an ocularist if you’re missing an eye or part of your eye due to injury, infection or a congenital (present at birth) condition.

Talk to your primary care physician (PCP) if you’re not sure which type of eye care specialist you should see.