What Does An Ophthalmologist Do?
Published on January 30th, 2025
Canada 
Most of us will have heard of an optometrist and have a basic understanding of what they do. An ophthalmologist on the other hand may not be so familiar. Like an optometrist, an ophthalmologist is an eye care professional. You may be referred to an ophthalmologist if you have an eye issue that requires more advanced care than an optometrist can provide.
Keep reading below to find out more about ophthalmologists.
What is an Ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist (often referred to as an ophthalmic surgeon, eye surgeon, or eye specialist) is a medical doctor who specializes in eye care. This means they can provide advanced visual care that your optometrist cannot. This includes assessing and managing serious eye conditions like advanced glaucoma and performing surgeries.
Oscar Wylee does not provide ophthalmology services. If you think you may need to see an ophthalmologist, speak to your GP or see an optometrist for further advice. Oscar Wylee has in-store optometrists available to help with your eye care needs. Find one of our stores and come in and see us for more information.
What does an Ophthalmologist do?
As medical doctors who are specially trained in eye health, ophthalmologists are qualified to carry out a variety of eye care services. These include the treatment and management of complex eye diseases and performing eye surgery.
These advanced eye issues, such as diabetic retinopathy, are what ophthalmologists will work with day to day. Ophthalmologists usually receive patients from referrals, either by a general practitioner or from optometrists who have noticed serious eye conditions beyond their expertise. Ophthalmologists will then assess the patient and create treatment plans for their eye or vision problems.
Ophthalmologist vs optometrist - What are the differences?
Both ophthalmologists and optometrists are eye care professionals. What separates the two are their levels of education and expertise.
Ophthalmologist
- An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor that has completed additional, specialist training in eye care.
- Their main responsibility is to treat eye diseases.
- Ophthalmologists are licensed to perform surgical eye care.
Optometrist
- Optometrists provide primary vision care. They are the first point of contact for your eye care needs.
- Optometrists conduct vision tests, prepare prescriptions and fit glasses.
- They are university-educated and will have received a Bachelor’s degree. They will also commonly have a masters or doctorate in the optometry field.
- They will also be registered to the appropriate jurisdiction according to their region.
Collaborative Care
Optometrists and ophthalmologists will often work together as an eye care team. Optometrists can make referrals to ophthalmologists for serious eye problems that they are not qualified to treat. Patients may also be sent to an optometrist after being discharged from the care of an ophthalmologist for follow-up care. If you want to know more information on these two eye care professionals, see our Optometrists vs Ophthalmologist page.
What conditions can an ophthalmologist treat?
Ophthalmologists are qualified to diagnose and treat a range of eye diseases, outlined below.
Cataracts
Cataract is an eye condition in which the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, making it hard to see. Ophthalmologists may treat cataracts by removing the cloudy lens of the eye through surgery.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve is damaged, causing vision loss. Damage to the optic nerve can be caused by high pressure on the eye. The most common ways to treat glaucoma include medication, eye surgery, eye drops and laser treatment from an ophthalmologist.
Partial or complete loss of vision or vision irregularities
If you are suffering from changes to your vision, whether it be vision loss, double vision or irregular eye movements, ophthalmologists will diagnose and treat accordingly.
Retinal abnormalities
The retina is a layer of tissue at the back of the eye. Retinal abnormalities can include diabetic retinopathy, in which the blood vessels in the retina are damaged as a result of diabetes.
Source: Medical News Today
Eye injury or inflammation
Eye injuries and inflammation have a range of causes, including accidents that cause trauma to your eye, or infections.
Additional
- Eye misalignment
- Corneal conditions
- Astigmatism
Ophthalmologist procedures and services
To treat these types of eye diseases, ophthalmologists provide a range of medical and surgical procedures.
Cataract surgery
To help combat the symptoms of cataracts, ophthalmologists will often perform cataract surgery. During this procedure, your cloudy lens will be removed and replaced with a clear lens, helping you see better.
Refractive or laser surgery
Ophthalmologists provide refractive or laser surgery, to correct refractive errors, which occur when your eye is misshapen. This misshapen eye means that light is unable to reflect as it should which causes vision problems. The surgery involves reshaping the cornea to help correct this issue.
Glaucoma Surgery
Glaucoma surgery may involve an ophthalmologist making an incision in the eye, to help relieve pressure and prevent any further optic damage. Glaucoma may also be treated using laser surgery.
Reconstructive eye surgery
Reconstructive eye surgery is considered to be any type of surgery that repairs structures around the eye. Reconstructive eye surgery can treat eye misalignment, drooping eyelids or blocked tear ducts.
Cancer Removal
Ophthalmologists may also remove cancerous tumours in or around the eye.
Types and subspecialties of ophthalmology
Once ophthalmologists have completed the appropriate education to become qualified, they can also carry out additional training to specialise in a specific area of eye care. They will then have patients referred to them if they have issues with one of these specific areas.
General (comprehensive) ophthalmologist
A general ophthalmologist will be able to provide a variety of eye care services such as diagnosing diseases, creating treatment plans and performing surgical procedures.
When a patient has a very specific problem like glaucoma, a general ophthalmologist may be able to treat them to a degree. However, they may also refer them to another ophthalmologist, like a glaucoma specialist, who has expertise in that specific area, for more advanced care.
Neuro Ophthalmologist
A neuroophthalmologist specializes in treating eye problems that have neurological causes. Neurology relates to the brain and the nervous system. So, if someone was to have a stroke and suffer vision problems as a result, this would be treated by a neuroophthalmologist.
Paediatric Ophthalmologist
A paediatric ophthalmologist is someone who specializes in eye conditions that affect children. These ophthalmologists may treat genetic or developmental eye issues or problems such as misaligned eyes.
Ophthalmic technician
Ophthalmic technicians work alongside ophthalmologists to provide eye care to patients. These technicians take on an assistive role, helping ophthalmologists care for patients. This role does not require a medical degree like an ophthalmologist, but training is required.
Additional
- Refractive surgeon: specializes in refractive vision correction, and fixes issues such as myopia.
- Corneal specialist: focuses on fixing vision issues relating to the cornea.
- Glaucoma specialist: focuses on treating glaucoma, a disease in which the optic nerve is damaged.
- Retinal specialist: fixes issues relating to the retina.
- Ocular immunologist: a specialist who focuses on eye issues caused by inflammation or immunological issues.
- Oculoplastic surgeon: performs plastic surgery on eye areas, such as eyelids and tear ducts.
Ophthalmologist Costs
The cost of seeing an ophthalmologist will depend on the person you are referred to and what services you require from them. Ophthalmologists are specialist doctors, so there is often a higher cost associated with their services.
Oscar Wylee does not provide ophthalmology services. If you need to see an ophthalmologist, make sure to conduct your enquiries about whether or not your health insurance can cover some of the cost. If you need primary eye care, Oscar Wylee provides optometry services such as directly billed eye exams. You can book a test online.
How to become an Ophthalmologist
Graduates of medical school are required to complete an ophthalmology residency to become an ophthalmologist. Residency lasts at least 5 years after the MD degree according to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Comprehensive surgical experience is included in the last 24 months of training, additionally, many ophthalmologists resume their training for a further 12-24 months in different subspecialties.
Ophthalmologist Salary
The ophthalmologist's salary will be dependent on the employer, the level of education and expertise area.
Read What Does An Ophthalmologist Do? in other Oscar Wylee regions and their languages.
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