What are the Qualifications to Become an Ophthalmologist?
Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Olympia, and Tacoma, Washington
The American Academy of Ophthalmology defines an ophthalmologist as follows: “A medical doctor who specializes in all aspects of eye care including diagnosis, management, and surgery of ocular diseases and disorders.”
Educational Requirements for Ophthalmologists
Ophthalmology is a medical specialty, as unique as a cardiologist, or pediatrician. Ophthalmologists like Kent Leavitt, M.D. at Bellevue LASIK & Cornea are medical doctors, with medical degrees. There are two ophthalmology medical degrees the ophthalmologist can pursue. One is the M.D. or medical doctor, and the other is the D.O. or doctor of osteopathy.
After medical school, the ophthalmologist continues his/her studies with a one-year internship followed by a three- or four-year residency. Many ophthalmologists pursue fellowship training of one or two years after completing residency.
Most states require that an ophthalmologist establish competency through attaining Board Certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) to be eligible for licensure. This process involves two examinations based upon national and internationally accepted standards and guidelines.
Because they perform surgery, ophthalmologists have extensive anesthesia and pharmacology training. Prescription medications after surgery commonly include steroids and antibiotics, but may include others as needed.
Services Offered by Ophthalmologists
Our Bellevue LASIK & Cornea ophthalmologists offer medical, surgical and rehabilitative management of eye diseases and disorders. Ophthalmologists also provide eye exams and corrective lens prescriptions, and some dispense the corrective lenses as well.
Surgical treatments include the several types of laser surgeries, such as LASIK or PRK to treat refractive vision errors.
Radio wave surgery known as conductive keratoplasty, or Near Vision CK treats only farsightedness and presbyopia.
Cataract surgery involves surgical lens replacement.
Presbyopia, an age-related stiffening of the crystalline lens can be treated both as a refractive error with laser surgery, or by surgical lens implant, much the same as cataract surgery.
Retinal detachment is treated using either laser therapy or cryotherapy, or surgically by one of three procedures known as scleral buckling, pneumatic retinopexy, and vitrectomy.
Medical treatment can address conditions caused by systemic diseases, diabetes for example, and eye diseases such as glaucoma or macular degeneration.
Rehabilitative treatment addresses disorders such as strabismus, a weakness of the eye muscles, or amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye.”
Some eye conditions and diseases are considered “silent” because they don’t have any observable symptoms. Scheduling a periodic exam with an ophthalmologist may catch an early diagnosis, which increases the chances of more successful treatment.
For a consultation with an ophthalmologist to evaluate your eye health please contact Bellevue LASIK & Cornea, with offices serving patients in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Olympia, and Tacoma, Washington.