An optometrist or ophthalmic optician conducts eye examinations, checking both the health of the eyes and prescribes for glasses and contact lenses. Some are licensed to prescribe a range of medications, providing they have the relevant qualifications to do so.
Optometrist
What do optometrists do?
An optometrist or ophthalmic optician conducts eye examinations, checking both the health of the eyes and prescribes for glasses and contact lenses. Some are licensed to prescribe a range of medications, providing they have the relevant qualifications to do so. An optometrist cannot perform eye surgery.
Once qualified an optometrist may use the suffix FCOptom or MCOptom and they will be registered with The General Optical Council.
How do optometrists determine what type of correction my eyes need?
Optometrists look at a variety of criteria to determine what prescription and optical solution will best suit your eye needs.
Your optometrist may want to know about your general health and the health of your family, including whether someone in your family has an eye condition such as glaucoma. They will ask you about your lifestyle including hobbies and work and check your eye sight using different methods to arrive at the correct prescription. They will examine the health of the eyes very carefully and check that the muscles controlling your eye movement are working correctly too.
They will make a recommendation based on their findings amid all the other information they have gathered, which may, if required include glasses or contact lenses.