Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmologists are physicians, either a doctor of medicine (MD) or a doctor of osteopathy (DO), who have attended college and completed 4 years of medical school, at least 1 year of internship, and 3 or more years of residency training specializing in medical and surgical eye care. Ophthalmologists may have also completed 1 or more years of subspecialty training in a specific area of ophthalmology, such as retina, cornea, glaucoma, pediatrics, oculoplastics, and neuro-ophthalmology.
 
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who are licensed by the state to practice medicine and to perform surgery. They can deliver total eye care, including performing a complete eye examination, prescribing eyeglasses and contact lenses, diagnosing and treating eye diseases, and performing surgery.
 
Having completed medical school, ophthalmologists are often more aware of how different diseases may affect the eye and how different findings noted during an eye examination may indicate serious disease elsewhere in the body. Also, ophthalmologists often have a better understanding of how different medications can interact with each other as well as how they may interfere with other health conditions and cause unintentional side effects.