Everyone hears about opticians and optometrists all the time, but it’s very hard to tell the difference between the two. In fact, many probably assume they are the same thing. While this is very true, it’s also important to dispel the misconceptions relating to both of these types of eye doctors. While both are incredibly important, understand that each have completely different functions in terms of how they contribute to the value of eyesight health in our society. By understanding the difference between them, you can immediately understand how you can go about solving your eye-related issues.
Understanding Opticians
Opticians are probably the most common eye-related expert whom you interact with. While many people confuse the opticians with optometrists, the reality is that these are the people you’re most likely to see because they are simply more common and require less education to become. Opticians, the suffix of “ician” relating to someone with technical ability, implies that these individuals are working in a kinesthetic manner with eye-wear. These are individuals that are trained and experienced with constructing eye-wear that help people see better. The main reason opticians are so drastically different from optometrists relates to the fact that opticians are more so technical experts than eye-care experts. They understand how to construct equipment that will aid people in seeing better, but they are not necessarily the best at performing surgeries or thing of that nature.
If you ever go to a local prescription glasses store, these are the individuals that you’ll interact with. On the other hand, optometrists are individuals that are much more highly-trained as far as helping your eyes are concerned.
Understanding Optometrists
Unlike opticians, optometrists are more like traditional medical doctors. While optometrists can certainly gain a lot of useful expertise to become better at their job, optometrists have the challenge of working with real people and their eyes. Whereas opticians are technicians that work equipment, optometrists work with people.
Sure, both of them work with people, but literally, optometrists are working with real, warm-bodied humans rather than glasses and goggles. These are the individuals that will diagnose strange eye-related illnesses like infections or corneal damage.
Optometrists not only have to understand the in-depth anatomy of the eye, but they have to be prepared to perform very comprehensive surgical procedures to alleviate any eye issues.
Bottomline: both of these eye-related professionals are necessary if you have eye troubles, but understanding the difference between both will allow you to get the precise medical care you need.
