Our eyesight is something that most people cherish and protect and that very few take for granted. This is evidenced by the fact that long before we dealt with heart medicine, or figured out how to remove an appendix that ruptured, or thousands of other procedures, we were focused on our eyes. As far back as earlier than 1,500 BC, the ancient Greeks were practicing a form of ophthalmology. Of course, since these days were per-enlightenment, everything operated on speculation and assumption, not empiricism like today’s medicine; though the point is that humans understood the importance of eye medicine thousands of years ago and worked to solve issues with the eye, such as correcting eyesight and dealing with
The optometrists of today are highly skilled doctors who provide a range of services related to the eye. You can likely find a fantastic optometrist located near you to handle a broad range of issues for you, providing preventative care as well. Though many people aren’t exactly up on their medical lingo, so they want to know what optometrists do. Here is some information on the subject.
The Duties of an Ophthalmologist
The duties of optometrists focus solely on the eyes. However, that in no way means they have a narrow scope of duties. They’re very highly trained professionals, first and foremost. To become an optometrist, one must complete at least 12 years of school, and that’s not even including the training they receive after they graduate through real-world work. A four-year basic medical post-grad and then eight years of actual medical training is what goes into this field. Optometry is one of the most specialized fields in all of medicine, and anyone who is licensed to practice this form of medicine has been through a gauntlet of schooling and practice before operating as licensed optometrists.
Though the sorts of things performed by optometrists will include diagnosing issues with eyesight, prescribing corrective measures such as glasses, and even diagnosing diseases of the eye and performing surgeries to correct other issues. So although optometry seems like a narrow scope that deals with the eyes, there is a whole lot within that field to unravel.
Reasons to Go See an Eye Doctor
Catching Problems Early
There are all sorts of eye issues that anyone can end up suffering from. Some are genetic, others might come on out of the blue, and some might be random accidents. For the first two, you might want to see if you can catch them early on. A genetic propensity for an eye issue, like a
Correcting Existing Problems
You might be shocked to learn how stubborn some people are when it comes to going to get their eyes looked at. They might have floaters or blurry vision or be near or farsighted yet do not want to go into to see the eye doctor. If you think dentists scare people by poking around in their mouths, imagine someone who believes that optometrists are going to poke at their eyes! Though if you have any sort of vision issue, you need to get in there and have your eyes examined before the issues get worse. For many issues, there is a point of no return, and it could be coming up quickly.
The Occasional Checkup
You won’t have to go in to see the eye doc nearly as often as your other checkups, but it will be wise to go see them every few years or so. You just want to check that everything’s going okay, and that you can see read those tiny letters! As we age, everyone’s eyes get a little worse. So you may need vision correction later in life and not even realize it.
Not all optometrists are the same. When you need to see an eye doctor, make sure you’re visiting a quality clinic.
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