No normal person can imagine a life without their eyes. Do not believe us? Ask a blind person what problems he/she is facing in his/her daily life. Our eyes give us the ability to see and experience the world for what it actually is. It is a window to the land of the living and without it our life would be nothing more than pitch black. We humans take our body very casually and usually do not notice if anything is wrong with until it actually is, but that should never be the case. We should always have a good physician under our belt and have regular checkups but having a good eye doctor is also necessary as compared to a physician.
An optometrist is an eye doctor who is trained to handle ocular diseases. They can check for eye defects, dysfunctions, injuries like a scratch to your cornea or any type of eye diseases like conjunctivitis. Also, they can check for regular physical health which has a direct connection to your eye’s health, like for example pressure and diabetes.
Different types of eye doctors
This is important because you need to know there are two types of eye doctors. So when you go to your doctor the next time you will know what you are expecting or rather what the doc can do for you.
- Optometrist: These doctors can look for eye diseases and injuries and prescribe medication to you accordingly. They examine your visions and give you valuable advices regarding your vision. They do not have the permission or rather the degree or the specialty to perform eye surgeries on you.
- Ophthalmologist: These types of doctors can check for any type of eye diseases and also at the same time performs the eye surgeries if required. They have a specialized degree for performing eye surgeries on you.
Tips for choosing the right optometrist
Since now you know exactly what an optometrist is and what you can expect from them, let’s dive into how you can choose the perfect optometrist for you.
- First comes first, do not try to experiment. It is your life. Ask your friends or family and choose a doctor which is known for his good skills and work.
- Secondly, even after you get a good recommendation from a particular person about a particular doctor you must always do a background check on the doctor. Check whether he was ever caught for malpractice or not and also check his degrees and whether they are valid or not. Every optometrist must have completed four years of Optometry College.
- This point is valid for every type of doctor. The doctor must be well adept in communication skills. This is because not everyone can explain his or her problems properly. The doctor has to understand what the patient is saying by whatever vague words the patient is using and then explain to the patient in simple words what the problem actually is.
- Lastly, you must always check with your insurance company about your medical plan. If you have a vision plan you must choose an optometrist is a part of that plan. You might get some extra benefits like VIP treatment or some special eye tests for free. So check with your insurance policy before committing to a doctor.
Optometrists are a very important part of our lives and we must choose the best according to our needs. Our eye is a very vital organ of which we should take a lot of care and never hold back on expenses or a good doctor.
Author: Joseph Webb
Disclaimer: The Daily Brunch does not hold the rights to the image.
