What is ophthalmology?
Ophthalmology is the specialized field of medicine that focuses on the health of the eye. It includes the anatomy, physiology and diseases that may affect the eye. Historically, the science of ophthalmology encompassed all aspects of visual function, both in health and in illness. Additionally, ophthalmology also includes animal eyes as ocular function and optic diseases are similar among humans and animals.
An ophthalmologist is a specialist physician who is involved with the prevention, diagnosis and medical treatment of the eyes. This may include surgical procedures and pharmaceutical interventions and, as such, ophthalmologists have training in both fields.
What conditions do they treat?
Ophthalmologists are responsible for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of almost all eye conditions and visual issues.
However, subspecialist ophthalmologists tend to treat and monitor certain conditions, such as:
- glaucoma
- retinal conditions, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy
- corneal conditions
- cataracts
- cases involving children or childhood eye conditions
- cases with a neurological cause or component, such as optic nerve problems, abnormal eye movements, double vision, and some kinds of vision loss
- cases involving complex surgical procedures, such as reconstructive surgery or advanced vision repair