Your vision is extremely important. Picture not being able to see and you will be able to grasp, even just for a little bit, the great difficulty of living with very poor eyesight. As you age, your eyesight needs more attention. By the age of 40, it is recommended that individuals undergo a comprehensive eye exam every year.
An eye specialist can help you take good care of your eyesight. If you are looking for an eye specialist, you are going to come across three practitioners who provide eye care to patients. They are ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians. Choosing the right eye practitioner ensures you get your needs met.
Let’s discuss each type of eye practitioner, so you know which one you need to see in various situations.
Ophthalmologists
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye and vision care. Ophthalmologists are doctors who went to medical school, received medical training, and underwent residency to practice ophthalmology. An ophthalmologist can treat all eye diseases and vision disorders by prescribing medication, providing eyeglasses and contact lenses, and performing surgery, (including LASIK corrective surgery). Out of all three eye practitioners, only ophthalmologists are able to perform surgery.
Optometrists
Optometrists are health care professionals who have a doctor of optometry (OD) and perform comprehensive eye exams and prescribe corrective glasses or lenses. They can detect abnormalities and near-sightedness or farsightedness, and help patients manage their vision problems. While ophthalmologists go to medical school, optometrists complete four years of optometry school.
Opticians
Opticians are eye care professionals who are trained to dispense and fit eyeglasses and contact lenses. They are not eye doctors and cannot perform eye exams or give out prescriptions. They provide eyeglasses or contact lenses based on prescriptions dispensed by ophthalmologists and optometrists. They also provide patients with education on how to properly care for their lenses and how to maintain healthy vision.
Each eye practitioner can be part of your health care team, as you receive comprehensive eye and vision care. To get the best of three worlds, choose a practice with an ophthalmologist and optometrist on the team, as well as an optician.
Board-Certified Ophthalmologist and Optometrist in Washington, MO
Advanced Sight Center is an ophthalmology practice that is currently accepting patients. If you choose us, you are guaranteed to have experts who can help you care for your eye and vision health. We make sure we are up-to-date on the exciting advances that are being made in the field of ophthalmology for the benefit of our patients. For your convenience, we have an in-office optical boutique and an optician who can help determine the best options for you based on your eye prescription.
Trust us with your eye and vision health, and we will exceed your expectations. We invite you to have your first eye check-up with us. To schedule an appointment with one of our eye practitioners, call our clinic today at (636) 239-1650 or use our convenient online request form.
