What Does An Optometrist Do?
If you’ve ever had concerns about your eye health, need glasses, or been worried about sore, dry, swollen or red eyes, an optometrist is the healthcare professional who can help by providing you with an accurate diagnosis and an effective treatment plan.
Most of us only think about our eyes when something goes wrong, and by then a condition has often been developing for years without symptoms you’d notice. A comprehensive eye exam is built to pick up those changes early.
It’s also the role most often confused with an ophthalmologist or an optician, which matters when you’re deciding who to book with. Here’s what you need to know about an optometrist’s role.
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual clinical advice. It doesn’t take your personal circumstances, symptoms or medical history into account. If you have concerns about your eyes or your vision, book an appointment with a registered optometrist.
Key takeaways
- An optometrist is a university-qualified, registered health practitioner
- Optometrists prescribe glasses and contact lenses, and those with a therapeutic endorsement can also prescribe eye medicines.
- Optometrists aren’t medical doctors. Ophthalmologists are doctors who perform eye surgery, and optical dispensers fit and supply eyewear.
- Most Australian adults should have a comprehensive eye exam every two years, and every year from age 65.
- You don’t need a GP referral to see an optometrist, and Medicare covers eligible eye tests.
What is an optometrist?
An optometrist is a registered health practitioner who examines the eyes and visual system, tests vision, prescribes glasses and contact lenses, and diagnoses, treats and manages disorders and diseases of the eye.
To practise in Australia, an optometrist must:
- Hold an accredited university qualification in optometry, which usually takes around five years
- Be registered with the Optometry Board of Australia.
Registration is renewed every year and requires ongoing professional development, and you can check any practitioner’s registration on the public Ahhra register.
They also play a significant role in supporting overall health by recognising signs of general health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and making appropriate referrals.
How can an optometrist help you?
An optometrist’s job consists of a range of tasks to support your overall eye health, which includes:
- Providing vision tests and eye exams using a range of techniques and technologies
- Correcting blurry vision and refractive errors by prescribing and fitting contact lenses, frames and customised lenses
- Detecting and monitoring how other health conditions may be contributing to certain eye conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy
- Diagnosing, treating and managing many eye concerns, including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, conjunctivitis and digital eye strain
- Providing vision therapy, low-vision aids, and long-term continuity of care throughout your eye health journey
- Prescribing scheduled medicines for eye conditions, where the optometrist holds a therapeutic endorsement
- Managing short-sightedness in children, including specialised spectacle lenses designed to slow its progression.
More than this, your optometrists are your supporters throughout any changes and help ensure that you’re getting the best care at every step, including the right referrals if a vision exam detects something unexpected.
Are optometrists doctors?
Optometrists are not medical doctors. They are university-qualified, registered health practitioners, but they do not hold a medical degree and do not perform surgery. Some optometrists hold a Doctor of Optometry, which is a professional degree in optometry rather than a medical qualification.
What optometrists can do is examine and diagnose. An optometrist with a therapeutic endorsement from the Optometry Board of Australia can also prescribe scheduled medicines for eye conditions, such as drops for glaucoma or an eye infection. If your condition needs surgery or specialist medical management, your optometrist refers you to an ophthalmologist.
Conditions optometrists diagnose, treat and manage
As well as detecting and diagnosing eye abnormalities and diseases, optometrists may be qualified to provide effective treatment and management strategies for many medical eye conditions, such as:
Refractive errors, which make objects appear blurry, such as myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness), astigmatism (blurry vision at both near and far), presbyopia (mature vision) and amblyopia (lazy eye)
Glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve that sends signals from the eye to the brain
Age-related macular degeneration, which occurs due to ageing, causing the light-sensitive tissue in your eyes to break down over time
Diabetic retinopathy, which occurs as a complication of diabetes, damaging the blood vessels in the back of the eye
UV damage, because much like our skin, the cells in our eyes can be damaged by the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation
Pterygium, a growth of tissue on the surface of the eye linked to long-term sun exposure, which is more common in Australia than in most of the world
Dry eyes: this can happen when your eyes either don’t make enough tears or when your eyes don’t make high-quality tears to keep your eyes nourished and moisturised
Colour vision deficiency detection: also known as colour blindness, those affected see colours differently than most others, though they may not know it.
Conjunctivitis, often referred to as pink eye, which can be triggered by allergens such as animals or pollen, or by bacteria or viruses, causing swelling, redness, itchiness and pain.
If a condition falls outside what optometry can treat, your optometrist arranges the referral and stays involved in your ongoing care.
When Should I See An Optometrist?
You should see an optometrist every two years for a comprehensive eye examination, even if your vision seems fine and you have no symptoms, and every year once you are over 65.
Checks are more frequent for anyone with a diagnosed eye condition, a systemic condition such as diabetes, or a medication that may affect the eyes.
The reason routine checks matter is that around 90% of blindness and vision loss in Australia is preventable or treatable when it’s found early. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, more than 13 million Australians reported living with at least one long-term eye condition in the most recent national health survey, and many of them have no idea, because changes to vision usually happen gradually enough that you adjust without noticing.
There are also many eye diseases that have few or no early symptoms and can develop at any age. Regular eye checks allow your optometrist to combine clinical knowledge with digital imaging to track subtle changes in your eyes over time, and pick up concerns as soon as they arise, so you can start a treatment and management plan early.
Signs you may need urgent care
If you’re already experiencing any disturbance or change in your vision, or any of the following, you should seek urgent care:
- Following a head injury or bump
- A scratch to the eye, or an injury including chemical spills
- Eye pain
- Blurred or double vision
- Circles that look like halos around lights
- Red, irritated eyes
- Floaters, or specks that drift across your vision
- Flashes of light
- A sensation that something is in your eye.
Risk factors that mean more frequent checks
We also recommend booking more frequent appointments with an optometrist who can monitor the health of your eyes over time if you have certain risk factors, such as:
- A family history of eye disease
- An occupation that is visually demanding or hazardous to the eyes
- Reduced vision in one eye
- Wearing contact lenses
- Previous eye surgery or injury
- A diagnosis of diabetes or high blood pressure
What To Expect At Your Optometrist Appointment
You do not need a referral from your GP to see an optometrist. A comprehensive eye exam usually takes around 30 minutes, and it is worth bringing your current glasses or contact lenses, a list of any medications, and your Medicare card.
In a comprehensive eye exam like those provided at The Optical Co, your eye care professional uses a gentle approach combined with innovative medical technology, including digital retinal photography and optical coherence tomography scans, to go beyond simply assessing eyesight and help identify diseases and conditions as early as possible. Your comprehensive exam may include:
- Going through your personal and family health history, detailing when your symptoms began, medications, work and environmental factors, and more
- Visual acuity measurements using reading charts to assess precisely how each eye can see
- Tests of your eye health which may include depth perception, colour vision, peripheral vision and how your pupils respond to light
- Assessments to measure which power of lens you require to correct short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism
- Eye focusing, eye teaming and eye movement activities to examine how well your eyes focus, move and work together
- Eye health examination using a range of technologies to detect underlying conditions
After your exam is completed, your optometrist will discuss your diagnosis and treatment plan options with you to help protect your eye health and correct your eyesight.
Book an appointment with an optometrist
At The Optical Co, our optometrists offer targeted care for a range of conditions. Every treatment plan is designed for your needs and preferences to help optimise your quality of life, and our optometrists can refer you to an ophthalmologist for more complex treatment.
If it’s been more than two years since your last eye test, or you have noticed any change in your vision, a comprehensive eye exam at your local Optical Co clinic is the place to start.
[1] https://www.visionaustralia.org/information/eye-health/eye-care
