New Jersey Eye Doctors

An eye doctor is an individual who provides medical service related to the eyes or vision. Eye doctors are involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.

Current terminology

* Ophthalmologist – A medical doctor (MD) who specializes in surgical eye care. In the US, this requires four years of college, four years of medical school, and four to six more years of internship, residency, and/or fellowship and sub specialty training.
* Ophthalmic medical practitioner – A medical doctor (MD) who specializes in ophthalmic conditions but who has not completed a specialization in ophthalmology.
* Optometrist – Diagnoses common eye diseases and disorders as well as refractive vision correction. In the United States, all states allow treatment of eye diseases by therapeutic licensed optometrists, but the extent varies by state. In addition to prescription eye drops, 47 states have oral prescribing rights, and Oklahoma allows for certain laser procedures. In some countries they can treat with a limited number of pharmaceuticals. In a small number of countries they do minor surgery within the limits of what General Practitioners do, although sometimes the scope of this is disapproved by ophthalmologists.
o In most countries, optometry is either a 4 year or 5 year college degree and they are not classified as Doctors (except in the Philippines).
o In the USA, the standard education is four years of college and four years of optometry school at an accredited Doctor of Optometry (OD) program. An additional one to two years of residency, internship, fellowship and/or specialty training is required for qualification in certain positions. All optometry colleges in the U.S. currently provide training in the diagnosis and treatment of common eye diseases and some minor surgical procedures.
* Orthoptist – Specializes in diagnosis and management of ocular motility, amblyopia and binocular vision disorders, as outlined by the International Orthoptic Association. They also assist ophthalmologists in surgery and in most countries are accredited ocular sonographers.[1]
o In many countries including the USA, the standard education is three years of college, plus two years in post graduate college.
o In other countries (such as Australia), it is a 4 year Master’s degree.
* Ocularist – Specialize in the fabrication and fitting of ocular prostheses for people who have lost eyes due to trauma or illness.
* Optician – Specializes in the fitting and fabrication of ophthalmic lenses, spectacles, contact lenses, low vision aids and ocular prosthetics. They may also be referred to as an “optical dispenser”, “dispensing optician”, “ophthalmic dispenser”. The prescription for the corrective lenses must be supplied by an ophthalmologist, optometrist or in some countries an orthoptist. This is a regulated profession in most jurisdictions.
* Ophthalmic Medical Personnel – A collective term for allied health personnel in ophthalmology. It is often used to refer to specialized personnel (unlike ocularists or opticians).
o In many countries these allied personnel may just be known as an “ophthalmic assistant”. Their training is usually combined with a two or three year applied science degree and they assist an ophthalmologist or orthoptist in the hospital or clinic with vision testing.
o In the USA the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology administers OMP certifications:
1. Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) – entry level
2. Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT) – intermediate level
3. Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) – advanced level

Older terminology

* Oculist – Either an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
* Vision therapist – Usually either an orthoptist or optometrist. Works with patients that require vision therapy, such as low vision patients.

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