Home > Ophthalmology

1 Professional requirements

Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who have completed medical school and embark on a training schedule that generally lasts 6-7 years in most countries. In the US, an ophthalmologist has had at least three years of residency training before qualifying for ophthalmology training. Many ophthalmologists also undergo additional specialized training in one of the many subspecialities. Ophthalmology was the first branch of medicine to offer board certification, now a standard practice among all specialties.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology promotes the use of the phrase "Eye MD" to distinguish ophthalmologists from optometrists, who are individuals trained in schools of optometry and who receive the OD degree. Optometrists, who are not medical doctors, are primarily concerned with measuring and dispensing eyeglasses and contact lenses. In some places, legislative decree has granted optometrists the legal right to treat and manage some types of eye disease. Optometrists are not trained in eye surgery.

In U.K., MRCOpth, FRCOpth, MRCS, FRCS (postgraduate exams) are required for specialisation in eye diseases.

In Australia, the FRACO is the equivalent postgraduate specialist qualification.

In India, either M.D./M.S./D.O.M.S/D.N.B. in Ophthalmology is necessary before one can expertly deal with various problems of the eye.

Formal specialty training programs in veterinary ophthalmology now exist in some countries.

2 Sub-specialities

Ophthalmology includes sub-specialities which deal either with certain diseases or diseases of certain part of the eye. Some of them are:

• Cornea and ocular surface
• Glaucoma
• Lens
• Blindness
• Refractive surgery
• Retina and Vitreous
• Uveitis
• StrabismusStrabismus (sometimes called crossed, lazy, or wandering eye) is a disorder of the eyes involving a lack of coordination between the muscles of the eyes. Essentially, the eyes do not point in the same direction. This prevents bringing the gaze of each to ( Squint),
• Pediatric ophthalmology
• Eye trauma

3 Ophthalmic surgery

• CataractNormal vision. Courtesy NIH National Eye Institute The same view with a cataract. A cataract is any opacity which develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope. Cataracts form for a variety of reasons, including infrared and microwave exp surgery is a major sight-giving operation that eye surgeons perform by removal of the opaque human lens and replacement with an artificial Intraocular lens implant.
• PhacoemulsificationPhacoemulsification refers to modern cataract surgery in which the human lens is emulsified with an ultrasonic handpiece which employs irrigation of balanced salt solution for aspiration of lens material as well as cooling the handpiece. The cataract is u is keyhole surgery with emulsification and aspiration of cataract through a 2.8-3 mm incision and placement of a foldable intraocular lensAn intraocular lens (or IOL is an implanted lens in the eye, usually replacing the existing lens because it has been clouded over by a cataract. They usually consist of a plastic lens with plastic side struts called haptics to hold the lens in place withi through the same unenlarged incision. This gives faster rehabilitation and excellent results in trained hands.
• LASIKLASIK an acronym for L aser A ssisted I n Si tu K eratomileusis, is a refractive surgery procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The first step in the procedure consists of mapping the corneal surface with a comput (Laser assisted-in-situ keratomilieusis) is a type of refractive surgery whereby an excimer laser (193 nm) is used to remodel the corneal stroma after lifting a partial thickness corneal flap made by a microkeratomeA microkeratome is a precision surgical instrument with an oscillating blade designed for creating the corneal flap in LASIK or ALK surgery. The normal human cornea varies from around 500 to 600 micrometres in thickness; and in the lasik procedure, the mi. Excimer laser ablates tissue without causing damage to adjacent stroma in a finely controlled manner.