HEALTH

"There's always a big problem in people's minds as to who's who," says Dr. G.R. LaRoche, head of ophthalmology at IWK-Grace Health Centre in Halifax, "because everybody's titles start with 'O.' A lot of people know where to turn, but they don't know who they're turning to." This glossary should help:

Ophthalmologist: An MD who deals with all medical diseases of the eye and surgical problems.

Optometrist: An eye-care professional who deals with near-sightedness and far-sightedness, and issues prescriptions for glasses. While not an MD, an optometrist does treat some minor medical disorders.

Optician: Someone who dispenses glasses and contact lenses based on a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. While opticians will help with the selection and make sure that glasses or lenses fit properly, they are not medical specialists.

Oculist or ocularist: Someone who deals with fitting ocular prosthetics - false eyes.

Orthoptist: Someone who measures vision and eye-muscle imbalances and the treatment of strabismus and amblyopia. Orthoptists work in conjunction with ophthalmologists.

March 1997