What Will It Be Like At The Ophthalmologist Office?

About Me
Vision after Forty

Hello. My name is Lori Frank. I’m fifty-two years old. I had perfect vision until I turned forty-one years of age. It’s funny; you often hear how one's vision starts to change at forty. Well, I can tell you that statement sure has held true for not only me but friends and family too. I never worried about going for yearly eye exams until I noticed that it was getting harder to read road signs when driving. I got my first pair of glasses when I was forty-one, and I’ve been averaging a new prescription at least every other year since. I want to share some of my experiences when it comes to eye exams. I was frightened and wanted to put it off, but there’s really nothing to be afraid of. Moreover, to make things better, eyeglasses are a trend these days!

Tags
Search

What Will It Be Like At The Ophthalmologist Office?

6 June 2019
 Categories: , Blog

When you may have certain issues going on with your eyes, such as an eye disease, you will be referred to an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist can be either an osteopathic or a medical doctor who's undergone schooling and training that can last as long as 13 years. They are experts in the field of eye diseases and other conditions that can have an affect on your eyes. When you go to an ophthalmologist, you may want to know what the environment is going to be like so you feel better prepared when you go in to see them for your eyes. Here is what you can expect when you go to an ophthalmologist.

The office environment

When you go to an ophthalmologist, you should expect a professional and very clean environment. Cleanliness is a must since some minor surgeries are often done in the ophthalmologist's office. There will be office staff that tends to things like checking you in, taking you back to a room, answering phones, taking care of paperwork, and tending to other office needs. You can't ask the office staff questions about your test results or anything of this manner; they are not qualified to read the results and are not allowed to give information about diagnoses out.

Ophthalmic medical assistant

Your ophthalmologist will be the one who examines your eyes. However, there may be someone else who administers some of the tests for the ophthalmologist, and this would be their ophthalmic medical assistant. This assistant is trained in administering tests and helping the ophthalmologist with various aspects of tending to, treating, and examining you as the patient. While the assistant may administer some of the tests, the ophthalmologist will be the one that looks at the results and determines what they mean.

Ophthalmic registered nurse

A registered nurse in an ophthalmic office has gone through special schooling that gives them the knowledge needed to help with many types of tasks. A lot of these tasks have to do with treating patients directly, such as administering medications, giving injections, assisting with surgeries, assessing a patient's immediate condition, etc.

Ophthalmic technician

There may be someone else that helps the ophthalmologist with more involved or invasive tests, and this would be the ophthalmic technician. This is a person who has gone through a more intense form of training that gives them the knowledge necessary to assist the ophthalmologist hands-on with everything from those tests to minor surgeries that take place in the office.

Conclusion

Now you may have a better idea of the environment you will be going to for your eye issues. This knowledge may give you a bit of comfort when you walk in for your vision needs. Reach out to an ophthalmology clinic to learn more.