Faq

Question: What is the difference between an Optician, an Optometrist and an Ophthalmologist?

An Optician (LDO) is a health care provider licensed to fill and dispense spectacles, contact lenses and other optical devices from a written prescription of a licensed physician or Optometrist. An Optician may become licensed through a two-year education program or
apprenticeship program but is not required to be licensed to work. An optician is not a doctor.

An Optometrist (OD) is a Doctor of Optometry. The doctor is licensed to practice optometry and specializes in determining spectacle or contact lens prescriptions, diagnosing, monitoring and offering primary care treatment for most eye abnormalities and diseases of the eye. The Optometry education consists of four years of college and four years in an optometry college. Post-education residencies are optional. An optometrist can prescribe topical eye medications but does not perform surgery.

An Ophthalmologist (MD or DO) is a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy. Such a physician is licensed to practice medicine and surgery, and specializes in all aspects of eye and vision care. An ophthalmologist's education typically includes four years of medical school, one or more years of general hospital experience in treating eye disease in a hospital-based eye residence program. In addition to diagnosing and treating eye abnormalites and disease, an Ophthalmologist can perform surgery.

Question: Can the sun damage my eyes?

Most likely, yes. There is currently quite a bit of medical research suggesting that exposure to ultra-violet (UV) light may contribute to the development or progression of many eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Therefore, I strongly advocate protecting the eyes through the use of UV blocking lens coatings and/or sunglasses. The sunglasses that we provide offer the highest percentage of UV blocking ability available. To encourage the use of sunglasses we offer substantial discounts whenever a patient purchases a pair of sunglasses in addition to their regular pair of spectacles.

Question: Can anyone wear contact lenses?

Generally, yes. There are so many varieties of contact lenses that I can usually find an appropriate contact lens to fit nearly any patient with any prescription. Sometimes, the fitting may require custom lenses or may require more time to perfect the fitting and some contacts do not offer as clear of vision as can be offered with spectacles. However, with a little time and patience, most fittings are successful. Patients who have a fear of touching the eyes or patients with certain eye diseases are not considered candidates for contact lenses.

Question: Can anyone have LASIK or other forms of refractive surgery?

The answer is: It Depends. To find out if a patient is a candidate for LASIK or any other type of surgery, a complete vision analysis and ocular health check is always required.