Optometrists


Optometrists, also known as doctors of optometry, or ODs, provide most primary vision care. They examine people�s eyes to diagnose vision problems and eye diseases, and they test patients� visual acuity, depth and color perception, and ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. Optometrists prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses and provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation. Optometrists analyze test results and develop a treatment plan. They administer drugs to patients to aid in the diagnosis of vision problems and prescribe drugs to treat some eye diseases. Optometrists often provide preoperative and postoperative care to cataract patients, as well as patients who have had laser vision correction or other eye surgery. They also diagnose conditions due to systemic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, referring patients to other health practitioners as needed.
Optometrists should not be confused with ophthalmologists or dispensing opticians. Ophthalmologists are physicians who perform eye surgery, and diagnose and treat eye diseases and injuries. Like optometrists, they also examine eyes and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. Dispensing opticians fit and adjust eyeglasses and, in some States, may fit contact lenses according to prescriptions written by ophthalmologists or optometrists. (See the sections on physicians and surgeons; and opticians, dispensing, elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Most optometrists are in general practice. Some specialize in work with the elderly, children, or partially sighted persons who need specialized visual devices. Others develop and implement ways to protect workers� eyes from on-the-job strain or injury. Some specialize in contact lenses, sports vision, or vision therapy. A few teach optometry, perform research, or consult.
Most optometrists are private practitioners who also handle the business aspects of running an office, such as developing a patient base, hiring employees, keeping records, and ordering equipment and supplies. Optometrists who operate franchise optical stores also may have some of these duties.

Related news articles
New technology maps out your eyes, helps both you and your doctor ... - 16 Oct 2006
49abcnews.com,..."When I put the lenses on, to me it was the difference between regular TV and High Definition TV, it was that much better,�? Optometrist Lilien Vogel said. ...

NEARLY one in five motorists could be driving with bad eyesight ... - 16 Oct 2006
Glasgow Daily Record,Optometrist Karen Sparrow, of Vision Express, said: "The simple fact is they shouldn't have been driving, especially at motorway speeds.". ...

Hillside project still in uphill struggle - 16 Oct 2006
Union Democrat,...others in the community say the Sunrise Hills has not been a success, and looks nothing like the plans pitched in the late 1980s by Child, a local optometrist. ...

Three competing for 2 seats on council - 16 Oct 2006
Muskegon Chronicle,The candidates are: City Councilman Thomas P. Anderson, a longtime city activist; Mary V. Fisher, an optometrist; and James E. Tobleck, a retiree and ...

Your Health at Noon: Customized Eyeglasses - 16 Oct 2006
WTVQ,Optometrist, Lilien Vogl, OD, FAAO, says by accounting for and correcting the higher order aberrations, clients are able to see clear, crisp images. ...

Streator Optometrist attends annual conference - Oct 13, 2006
MyWebTimes.com,Steven Trzepacz, OD, recently attended the statewide Illinois Optometric Association's annual education conference and convention held Sept. 28-Oct. ...

Optometrist makes Hall of Fame - Oct 11, 2006
Rome News-Tribune,Retired Rome optometrist Dr. Jack Runninger says he just might borrow a line from the late comedian Jack Benny as he is inducted into the National Optometry ...

Optometrist strives to bring second sight to local elderly - Oct 11, 2006
Fulton Sun,By JUSTIN KELLEY. Being able to read a letter or look at a family picture is something most people take for granted, but for older ...

Annual Nansen Refugee Award presented to Japanese optometrist - Oct 3, 2006
Reuters AlertNet,GENEVA, October 3 (UNHCR) – The prestigious Nansen Refugee Award was formally presented to Japanese optometrist Akio Kanai in Geneva on Monday night for his ...

Optometrist vows to use refugee award prize money to help UN ... - Oct 3, 2006
UN News Centre3 October 2006 – A Japanese optometrist who has won the world’s top award for assisting refugees has pledged to pour the prize money back into the work ...

Optometrist vows to use refugee award prize money to help UN ... - Oct 3, 2006
Today.Az,Akio Kanai, chairman and chief executive officer of Fuji Optical and himself forcibly displaced from the northern Pacific island of Sakhalin at the end of ...

Optometrist vows to use refugee award prize money to help UN ... - Oct 3, 2006
ReliefWeb (press release),A Japanese optometrist who has won the world’s top award for assisting refugees has pledged to pour the prize money back into the work that led to the honour ...

Optometrist to Deploy - Sep 28, 2006
WHO-TV,September 28, 2006, Nevada - As Nevada's McFarland Eye Clinic loses its optometrist, Dr. Kris Dugger, to a military deployment overseas, patients will begin to ...

Saving Caleb Optometrist hailed as hero as Plainwell boy recovers ... - Sep 18, 2006
Kalamazoo Gazette,Robous, an optometrist and part-owner of Lakeshore Eyecare Center in Holland and Hamilton, was filling in for another doctor at RX Optical when Caleb came in ...

TV debut for optometrist - Sep 28, 2006
Hermanus Times,On these dates, see if you can spot local optometrist Johan Pretorius of Pappin and Pretorius Optometrists, members of Dynamic Vision Network. ...

Stuart optometrist gets drug court, Lamborghini back - Sep 20, 2006
Stuart News (subscription),Sept. 29 arraignment. Assuming all goes as planned, the optometrist would have to agree to several strict court terms. "He enters ...

Optometrist close to Black indicted in investigation - Sep 26, 2006
Winston-Salem Journal (subscription),A grand jury indicted a politically active optometrist close to House Speaker Jim Black yesterday, charging Michael Scott Edwards with four counts of felony ...

Optometrist indicted on four counts of perjury - Sep 26, 2006
News & Observer,A Wake County jury has indicted an optometrist on four counts of perjury in connection with filing false campaign finance reports. ...

Boozman’s opponent in uphill battle - Oct 15, 2006
Arkansas Democrat Gazette,...‘WHO IS THIS GUY ?’ Boozman, 55, a Rogers optometrist, was a school board member before running in 2001 to replace then-Congressman Asa Hutchinson. ...






More information on Optometrists from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Overview of Optometrists occupation
Number of Optometrists in the U.S.
Salary and earnings for Optometrists
Working conditions for Optometrists
Significant points for Optometrists
Training requirements for Optometrists




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