Amongst the many branches and fields of applied medical science, ophthalmology is one of them. This branch specializes in complete medical care, function, anatomy and diseases of the human eye.
If you ever had the experience of going to the hospital to get your vision checked or to find the cause of any other problem in the eye, then most probably you would have met the ophthalmologist or an Eye M.D. An ophthalmologist is a medical practitioner who has received specialized training in the field of ophthalmology. He is different from an obstetrician who also sits in the same department of a hospital.

The ophthalmologist and the obstetrician both have received an education which renders them capable to treat eye illnesses or disorders. But where an ophthalmologist specializes in this field and is trained to diagnose all problems of the eye and then treat them either through medicines or even surgery, the obstetrician has not received the degree of medicine but what is known as the Doctor of Optometry Degree only.

Optometry is simply the practice which involves examining the vision to determine the level of corrective measure required through the lenses.

So if you are facing any of the following problems, then be sure to visit an ophthalmologist, not an optician, or an obstetrician.

• Distorted vision which can include floaters in the eye; floaters are either strings or specks seen in the vision.
• If you see flashes of light,
• Decreased vision (sudden or temporary)
• Injury or pain in the eye
• A veil over the vision
• Double or blurred vision
• Bulging of the eye
• Red eye, etc.

The word "ophthalmology" is derived from combining two Greek words - Ophthalmos and Logos, which means Eye and Study respectively. Those medical practitioners who opt for specialized in this field have to complete an extra three years of hospital-based residency in which they cover a detailed study of the functions and anatomy of the eye in collaboration with performing surgical practices after the usual four years of MED school followed by a year of internship.

The three year long residency in this field trains the practitioner adequately to diagnose full spectrum of issues that could be troubling the eye. After diagnosing, an ophthalmologist is able to start the treatment of that disorder; whether it requires a surgery or follow up exams after taking medicine.
Some ophthalmologists even opt for a further sub-specialization in ophthalmology. Some of the sub-specialties include ophthalmic plastic surgery, ophthalmic pathology, glaucoma, pediatric ophthalmology and Neuro-ophthalmology.

Due to the advancement in technologies in every field, there are many new ways with which the ophthalmologists can now perform curative surgeries of the eye. Laser surgery is one of the latest kind of ophthalmic surgery, which many patients now opt for.