Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, and Opticians: What Is the Difference?
- The Medicine villa
- Jun 15, 2025
- 5 min read
An optometrist offers regular eye care services. On the other hand, an ophthalmologist specializes in surgical treatments for eye issues, while an optician assists you in fitting glasses and other visual aids.
If you've ever had to search for an eye doctor, you probably know that there are different types of eye specialists. There are optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians who all specialize in eye care.
This article will provide you with the educational background, salary, scope of practice, and service descriptions for optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians, and discuss how to choose the right eye care professional for your needs.
To be more precise, what does an optometrist do?
An optometrist is typically the main health provider for routine eye care.
Level of Education
The postgraduate optometry program is a doctoral program that typically takes around four years to finish, depending on the institution and curriculum. The curriculum consists of:
basic and advanced procedures for eye exams
client case histories and case studies
additional natural sciences (with optics) and pharmacology classes
The coursework for the optometry program also includes clinical training, such as a residency, during the last one or two years of the program, although it can begin sooner. The amount and duration of both coursework and clinical training can vary from school to school.
An optometry residency is an optional additional year that allows for further experience in designated areas, including:
ocular disease
specialty contact lenses
pediatrics
binocular vision
Salary range
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that optometrists had an average income of $131,860 in 2023.
The services they offer
An optometrist will be the person to consult every other year for your annual eye exam, or to renew your eyeglass or contact lens prescription, or to get medications or treatment for a specific eye issue.
Optometrists are not surgically trained specialists (unlike an ophthalmologist) and cannot treat more serious and severe eye conditions.
Optometrists provide the following services:
annual or routine eye exams which come with the opportunity to get instructions about eye health,
diagnose a variety of eye conditions,
prescribe:
eyeglass prescriptions
contact lens prescriptions
other vision aids
provide medical treatments or perform minor surgical procedures for certain eye conditions
provide post-operative eye care with surgery
Optometrists can prescribe controlled substances for eye conditions. In some states, it is possible for optometrists to carry out more minor surgeries like removing foreign bodies and performing a laser eye surgery, due to their state-specific regulations.
What is an ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a medical specialist who focuses on eye surgery.
Education Level
To train to be an ophthalmologist, one first must attend and pass a full medical program, then complete a year-long internship, and then begin a three-year residency in ophthalmology, as well as experience in management related to:
diagnosis and treatment of internal and external diseases of the eye
treatment of subspecialties of eye diseases
surgical management of eye-related diseases
In residency, ophthalmology graduates experience professional patient care, which includes completing surgical procedures under supervision.
Likewise, ophthalmologists can also complete a fellowship that typically takes one to two more years, allowing them the opportunity to specialize in:
oculoplastics
glaucoma
pediatrics
neuro-ophthalmology
the cornea or retina
Salary Range
In 2023, the average salary per year for an ophthalmologist was $312,120.
Service they provide
You can see an ophthalmologist for the same services, offered by an optometrist, such as a routine eye exam or prescription refills. Additionally, ophthalmologists provider can provide eye-related surgery for diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and strabismus.
Ophthalmologists provide the following services:
basic optometry services
medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the eye
rehabilitation services after eye surgery
Both optometrists and ophthalmologists can perform eye surgeries, depending on state rules and regulations. Nevertheless, optometrists are limited as to the types of surgery they can perform, while ophthalmologists will have training to conduct whatever they deem appropriate, relevant to their responsibilities.
What is an optician?
An optician is a customer service person that works in a vision care retail store or in an optometrist's office.
Education level
Training for opticians is generally not as formal as that of an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Formal education is not needed as an optician can be certified by completing a 1 to 2 year program, usually an associate's degree in ophthalmic dispensing.
An optician can also be certified through in-house apprenticeship with an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
Salary range
In 2023, opticians made about $47,560 on average per year.
Services they provide
Opticians have customer service roles at your optometrist's office or at your local vision care centre. You can go to an optician for routine care and adjustments, filling prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses.
Opticians can answer general questions about eye care but cannot examine, diagnose or treat eye disease.
Opticians have the following services:
receiving and filling eye prescriptions from optometrists and ophthalmologists
measuring, fitting and adjusting eyeglass frames
helping customers pick out eyeglass frames, contacts and other vision aids
conducting general office tasks as part of a team in an optometry office
Unlike optometrists and ophthalmologists,Opticians cannot perform eye exams, nor can they diagnose or treat any medical conditions of the eyes.
How to choose the correct eye care professional
How do you know which type of eye care professional to select? Whether you go to an optometrist, ophthalmologist, or optician will depend on what kind of service you are looking for:
You should visit an optometrist for common eye care, for example, for an annual eye exam, or to obtain a prescription for eyeglasses, contact lenses, or eye medication.
You should go to an ophthalmologist for medical and surgical treatment of serious eye problems (e.g., glaucoma, cataracts), or for laser eye surgery.
You should visit an optician at your local optometrist's office or vision care center if you want to fill or renew a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
The Overview
The three basic types of eye care professionals are optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians. All three of these groups have different education, specialties, and services provided.
Optometrists are the primary health care providers for eye care; they can examine, diagnose, and medically treat different conditions of the eyes. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who will perform surgery of the eyes. Opticians manage customer service in vision care environments and optometry practices.
The right choice of eye care professional for your needs will depend on the services you require.
To locate eye care professionals in your area, you can use the Find a Doctor of Optometry tool from the American Optometric Association or the Find an Ophthalmologist tool from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
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