What is an Ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor - an eye physician and surgeon - who has undergone extensive specialized training. After four years of undergraduate study, ophthalmologists go to medical school for four years to gain an understanding of the entire human body. The eyes can be impacted by a multitude of systemic disease and illnesses and proper understanding of the entire body is essential to providing appropriate medical and surgical care for the eyes.
Upon completing medical school, all physicians, including ophthalmologists, work for a year as interns or first year residents in general medicine, general surgery, or a transitional year in which they function as full medical doctors in settings such as the ER, hospital wards, operating rooms, and outpatient clinics.
Next an ophthalmologist undergoes a comprehensive 3 year ophthalmology residency at an academic hospital and medical center. This is an intense period of experiential learning in which the ophthalmologist learns his eye-specific medical and surgical skills. The ophthalmologist learns to care for the entire spectrum of eye patients and performs surgeries in all areas of eye care while simultaneously covering call for emergency rooms, hospitals, post surgical patients, and eye clinic patients. This experience is unparalleled in terms of the quality and intensity of training among eye care professionals.
Once ophthalmologists complete their residencies, half go on to pursue a fellowship in areas such as surgical or medical retina, cornea, glaucoma, uveitis, oculoplastics, eye pathology and oncology.
Ophthalmologists are trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the eye both medically and surgically. Your eyes matter, and proper diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases can have a huge impact on quality of life for you and your loved ones. Please call us today to set up an appointment.