Some patients are confused about the difference between an ophthalmologist and an optometrist. Both doctors can treat certain eye disorders such as pink eye, allergies and glaucoma. However, an ophthalmologist has the additional training for eye surgery. The ophthalmologist or optometrist will be able to tell you if you need glasses or changes in your eyesight. And, they are different from the optician that fulfills your vision correcting prescription with eyeglasses.
Once you’re 60 may need to start going to an ophthalmologist or optometrist for exams every two years. If you start to have major changes in your vision – increasing difficulty driving at night or cloudiness, you should consider seeing an ophthalmologist, as this may be the beginning of cataracts.
An ophthalmologist can best be thought of as an advanced eye doctor that does surgery on the eye. Surgeries for eye care can include for crossed eyes, glaucoma, trauma and of course, cataracts. Over half the population will either have cataracts or have been treated for cataracts by the time they are 80. Once a patient starts complaining about issues such as fogginess, visions changing often or other serious vision problems, they’ll be sent to an ophthalmologist for a complete exam as well as recommendations on how to proceed.
Dr Shatz is one the best ophthalmologists in the Boca Raton, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Palm Beach, Parkland area. He has done tens of thousands of cataract surgeries for patients with all types of lens issues. Dr. Shatz can replace cataracts with lenses that can fix other issues including restoring vision problems with multifocal implants, as well other surgeries to fix astigmatism. All surgeries are laser-assisted for ultimate precision. Bilateral surgery is also available for qualifying candidates to get both eyes treated on the same day. Another surgery performed by Dr. Shatz is an alternative to LASIK with phakic intraocular lens implantation where a “contact lens” is inserted into the eye.
