By Having practiced for many years as an eye doctor in Sarasota, I am often asked about the scope of practice of an optometrist by patients who have never been to one. In general, a patient is going to go to a clinic and book an appointment to get their eyes checked. This can include an eye exam or a detailed diagnosis of an eye condition. However, one of the questions some have is about who to see for certain medical conditions.
What Conditions do Optometrists Treat?
Let’s begin with the basics when it comes to an optometrist and what they are responsible for.
A qualified optometrist will be able to help with a variety of medical conditions such as checking your eyes to see what is going on and they can help with your vision if it is not as good as it used to be or if a new prescription has to be written for your contact lenses or eyeglasses. The cases are going to vary but the specialist will be able to take care of these issues. Their responsibilities can also include providing an initial diagnosis of any eye-related symptoms that are being seen in patients.
Treating Medical Conditions
This is a multi-faceted question when it comes to treating medical conditions. People often assume an optometrist cannot treat medical conditions and that is incorrect. In fact, there are many conditions that an optometrist may treat. It is going to depend on the case and that is only determined after an appointment has been set up. The specialist is going to take a look at the eye to see what is going on and how they can help. With any case that is based around the eye, an optometrist will be able to assist and can prescribe something for the patient. However, the same does not apply to conditions that are not based around the eye and that has to be kept in mind.
If a patient comes in and wants to speak to an optometrist about their heart, they will not be able to help and are going to ask the patient to visit a specialist for the heart. An optometrist is qualified to help with anything that is associated with the eye and this can include conditions that are away from the actual eye. For example, a patient may be dealing with an immune condition and is going to need treatment for eye-related symptoms, which is when they will take the time to visit an optometrist.
It is always best to speak to a specialist as they can make the best assessment of a patient’s treatment plan.
Ophthalmologists
This is an eye specialist that has more advanced medical training and will have gone to medical school and internship before becoming a specialist. This is a professional that is able to provide a range of medical treatments including cataract surgery, or other surgical procedures that have to be done on a patient based on their case history. All of these details are discussed between the optometrist and ophthalmologist if a referral was made at the time. In general, an optometrist will pass on the case to an ophthalmologist for complex cases.
These are the details to think about when it comes to making an appointment with an optometrist and what they are able to handle. Of course, in most situations, an optometrist will have basic qualifications to help patients with a diagnosis and referral to a specialist, but a specialist may be able to give a more precise diagnosis. If you need assistance in choosing the correct provider, then the smart thing to do is to book an appointment with a family physician and ask for a referral to the appropriate specialist.
