10 Things Eye Doctors Won't Tell You

For years it was as plain as that big "E" on the wall: Optometrists, who have a doctor of optometry degree, checked you for glasses, and ophthalmologists, who are M.D.'s, treated you for eye diseases. But the lines have blurred, so to speak. Over the past two decades, all 50 states have widened rules to allow optometrists to treat many of the same medical conditions that M.D.'s do. In Oklahoma, despite protests from the American Medical Association, optometrists can now perform some surgeries, too.

While optometrists say that their degree now covers all the skills needed to treat eye diseases, many M.D.'s still argue it's no substitute for medical school. Which should you use? A rule of thumb: For regular checkups and problems affecting the outside of the eye, such as allergies or dry eye, an optometrist is sufficient. (Two sites for locating good ones: the American Academy of Optometry, at www.aaopt.org, and the American Optometric Association, at www.aoa.org.) But if you experience symptoms such as loss of vision or ?ashing light, or if your optometrist finds signs of a cataract or macular degeneration, it merits a visit to an ophthalmologist.