P. O. Box 13967
Salem OR 97309
Phone: (503)399-0662
Fax: (503)399-0705
email: board@oregonobo.org
The Oregon Board of Optometry receives many questions concerning eye health care and the role of the three "o's", optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians.
What is the difference between an optometrist, ophthalmologist, and optician?
An optometrist (also called doctor of optometry or optometric physician in Oregon), is a health care practitioner trained to diagnose signs of ocular, neurological and systemic health problems and treat vision disorders. An optometrist may be certified to use topical and nontopical therapeutic pharmaceutical agents by the Oregon Board of Optometry, to treat eye diseases and injuries, prescribe therapeutic drugs and perform other procedures such as foreign body removal. All optometrists may prescribe glasses and contact lenses.
An opthalmologist is a medical doctor trained in eye surgery and eye disease. Ophthalmologists may prescribe glasses, contact lenses, drugs, and perform eye surgery such as cataract surgery. In Oregon, ophthalmologists are licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners.
An optician is an eye wear provider trained to select, manufacture, and dispense spectacles and sell or deliver contact lenses upon a written prescription by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Opticians are not licensed or regulated in Oregon.
What education and training is required to be an optometrist?
The academic credentials of students entering a college of optometry are the same as other health professions. Optometrists generally complete a four year bachelors degree and a minimum of another four years of optometry college curriculum. National Board examinations and an Oregon jurisprudence examination must be successfully taken in order to be eligible for licensure as an optometrist in Oregon.
Do optometrists have competency requirements?
Oregon administrative rules require that, beginning with the 2004 renewal year, optometrists complete a minimum of 18 hours of continuing optometric education every year. Of those 18 hours, 9 must must relate to the treatment and management of ocular disease. Beginning with the 2005 license renewal, each licensee must also have completed a minimum of 1 hour in ethics or Oregon Law and Administrative Rules. The ethics or law course must be completed no less than every other year. License renewal is based upon the fulfillment of these requirements.
What do the letters mean in the optometric physician's license number?
The minimum therapeutic pharmaceutical certification in Oregon is "T". This means that the physician is certified to prescribe topical pharmaceutical agents to treat conditions relating to the eye and eye health. Some Oregon licensed optometric physicians are "AT" certified. These optometrists are qualified to prescribe topical and oral - or nontopical - pharmaceutical agents to treat conditions relating to the eye and eye health. Effective in 2009, all optometric physicians practicing in Oregon will be required to be "AT" certified no later than their renewal date in that year. The designation "ATI" appears with the license numbers of those doctors who have qualified to use, prescribe and administer topical and non-topical pharmaceutical agents both orally and by injection.
What is a comprehensive eye-health examination?
Optometrists are required to perform certain testing procedures to assure that the eyes are free from disease or other disorder and are properly functioning visually. These tests include visual acuity, muscle function, testing for glaucoma, and any other procedures the optometrist determines necessary to assess the condition of the eyes.
Does the optometrist have to release the prescription to me?
Optometrists are required by Oregon law to immediately release the appropriate written prescription upon completion of the necessary visual examination or examinations. For glasses: This means immediately upon completion of the examination. For contact lens: This means when the optometrist would provide contact lenses without additional examination. A reasonable and clinically-prudent trial fitting period would normally be necessary before the optometrist can arrive at the appropriate contact lens prescription.