OPTOMETRIST?!?

What I think everyone should know about optometry.

1) Optometrists are different from ophthalmologists. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye surgery. In other words if a person wants lasik they would go to an optometrist for pre-operative care and evaluation but the surgery itself would be done by a ophthalmologist (in nearly every state). You can think of optometrists as general physicians of the eye and ophthalmologists as eye surgeons.

2) Many eye diseases cannot be felt---no pain. Why, because the retina, the back of the eye, has no pain neurons. Why should everyone know this? Because many eye diseases, like glaucoma (which can blind you), have no symptoms and hence must be detected by an eye exam. So, when was your last eye exam???

3) Children should get their first eye exam before age ONE. Why, because most childhood eye problems can be more easily managed if caught early in life. Plus knowing how well your child is seeing is essential for good school performance---so why not do it early. Google InfantSEE for more details.

4) To see clearly, everyone will need some type of vision correction in their lifetime. Why, because of a condition called presbyopia. It happens because the lens in our eye wears out with time and we become unable to see up-close (think of plus 40year old people reading the newspaper at arms length). So what do you do?---you get bifocals! Getting old stinks but its great job security for me!

5) Everyone needs yearly eye exams. Why, because sight is so important to so many of us. Can you imagine life without your vision? Get an eye exam!

6) The back of the eye is the only place in the human body where living arteries can be seen. Why, is this so important? Because optometrist often can see vessel changes that indicate high blood pressure, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis. In some cases we are the first to diagnose these diseases. Yet another plug to get an eye exam.

7) Optometry is rated as one of the best professions in the US by U.S. News and others. Why do you need to know this---you don’t it just makes me feel better about going to school for eight hours a day for four years.