Ophthalmologists are physicians who diagnose, treat and prevent eye disorders. These eye doctors inspect the eyes and areas around them such as eyelids and bone sockets for any disease and perform surgery if necessary. Sometimes an ophthalmologist may identify a problem that is not directly related to vision, such as diabetes mellitus and brain tumors that need to be treated by other doctors.
Some ophthalmologists have a generalized practice while others specialize in a particular area related to eye functions, such as cornea disease, glaucoma, pediatric ophthalmology and ophthalmologic plastic surgery. Other ophthalmologists also perform scientific research to invent new cures and prevention for diseases.
Various Ophthalmologic Examinations
An ophthalmologist asks a patient with an eye problem or disorder about his family history while focusing on the symptoms. He then uses various devices to physically check the eyes, and runs several tests to study visual function. The most commonly practiced test to check visual function is to let the patient read an eye chart from a particular distance. This chart contains a series of letters that become smaller as it is read from top to bottom. Visual activity is expressed in terms of the letter size and distance at which the chart is read.
The confrontation visual field exam is one of the most commonly used tests to assess the visual field. In this test, one of the eyes in covered while the ophthalmologist presents two or more fingers in the peripheral visual field of the patient that he has to guess.
Color vision testing and visual perception tests under reduced illumination are examples of other subjective examinations performed by an ophthalmologist.
Ophthalmologic examination also includes a test performed by an instrument known as a tanometer that estimates intraocular pressure. The tanometer is designed especially to measure the fluid pressure or tension within the eyeball, and is used to prevent a disease known as glaucoma that eventually leads to blindness.
An ophthalmologist uses many other tools such as retinal angiography and ultrasound to diagnose various eye diseases.
Optical Aids Prescribed by an Ophthalmologist
The most commonly used aids issued by an ophthalmologist are eyeglasses or spectacles with lens powered differently to enable people to see clearly. An additional lens is incorporated in the form of a bifocal lens for older people who have trouble reading. Sometimes another segment for intermediate distance is added to the existing lens, forming a trifocal lens.
Contact lenses are used because correcting lens in eyeglasses does not move with the eye and cause a distortion of the peripheral view. These lenses fit the surface of the cornea and to move with the eye. Although initially these were larger in size than the cornea and difficult to wear, development of the smaller types widened the scope of contact lenses and they gained more popularity.
People who fail to obtain normal vision with eyeglasses or contact lenses are prescribed a special lens system by the ophthalmologist called low vision aids that provide an enhanced image but a reduced visual field.
Ophthalmologist Surgery
An eyesight or vision problem that is severely distorted needs to be operated upon. Besides surgery, an ophthalmologist uses various other techniques to correct a problem such as using a scalpel or an invasive tool to remove an obstruction from the eyeball and enable the patient to see clearly.
LASIK is a refractive surgery performed by ophthalmologists to treat problems such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. Also called laser surgery, this procedure is voluntary and the decision is taken by the patient because of the desire to stop wearing glasses and contact lenses. In this procedure that was developed in 1990, an ophthalmologist creates a flap in the patients cornea and then uses a laser to remodel the center of the cornea to improve the patient’s vision.
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