Would you like a career helping people protect their eyesight and see as clearly as they can? You might consider becoming an optician, an optometrist, or an ophthalmologist. Many people think all three professionals are considered types of eye doctors, but only ophthalmologists are medical doctors. All three, however—opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists—play important roles in providing eye care.Ophthalmologist vs. Optometrist vs. OpticianOpticians are technicians who fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision-correcting devices. Optometrists examine, diagnose, and treat patients’ eyes. Ophthalmologists are eye doctors who perform medical and surgical treatments for eye conditions.The three types of eye health professionals also differ in their level of education. A job as an optician requires the shortest training, only a year or two of training after graduating high school. Preparing to become an optometrist takes about four years of optometry school after a four-year...
