The eye doctor is the person who handles your vision. He is the most important figure in the equation of maintaining and help you improve eyesight. He (or she) is the one you go see if you are experiencing any trouble with your vision, or are having any other eye health concerns. That is why it is very important to find somebody who is right for you. But this can be more complicated than it should be. And this does not happen because there are too few good ophthalmologists out there, because most of them know their job. The reason for which finding an eye doctor that suits you is so hard is that people are different. It is just like going out and start searching for a best friend, but for the eyes.
If you have ever tried to find an eye doctor on your own you are no doubt aware that there are a number of different types of eye doctors. However it is important that you know, before you chose, what services do they offer, what are the areas of expertise, and which is right for you. If you’re interested in improving your vision using the bates method, you should speak to a bates practitioner for example. Before going any further, it is important that you know the types of such other eye specialists. They are not all ophthalmologists, you know… And finding the right eye care professional and one that is qualified to perform the treatments and procedures you need is important.
Let’s take opticians for example. They are the type of eye care professionals who are only qualified to fit and dispense glasses, contacts and other vision improvement aids. In order to do that, all opticians must be licensed in the state or province in which they practice. Oh, yes, and they are also the ones handling artificial eyes. However, they have no qualification to make prescriptions or treat or diagnosis eye diseases.
Then there are the optometrists. They are the primary eye health care providers in the business. They are qualified to treat and diagnosis eye diseases and, most importantly, they prescribe corrective lenses for various vision problems. Just like opticians, they are required to be licensed in order to practice and have at least a four year degree to qualify them. They are not, however, doctors and cannot perform eye surgery.
Besides optometrists there also are behavioral optometrists. These guys support natural vision improvement programs and a bunch of them helped me a lot in researching and putting together all the information I gathered when I started writing the Eye knows book. The point is that the practice of behavioral optometry handles various vision therapy methods and has been characterized as a complementary alternative medicine practice.
And then there comes the eye doctor, the ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologists are the only eye doctors that have a medical degree and are qualified to perform eye surgery. They must have a medical degree, be licensed, and be members of a professional college of ophthalmologist in order to be qualified to practice. They are also qualified to do an optometrist’s job.