Caring for your eyes is incredibly important and making sure that you are going to the right doctor can make a big difference. For those that are looking for a great eye doctor for their eye exam in the Memphis area, Memphis Eye & Cataract Associates is a great option.

What Is an Optometrist?

An optometrist is a person that has a doctorate degree and is trained to work with eyes and to provide eyecare. Your optometrist is going to be the person that you see when you visit a typical eye doctor for your yearly eye exam. Optometrists provide you with the eye care that you need to have healthy and happy eyes. An optometrist is going to be your normal eye doctor that helps to care for your eyes and performs your routine exams.

What Is an Ophthalmologist?

An ophthalmologist is a professional that has an optometrist degree, but has also undergone additional training to be certified to perform eye surgery. These professionals can perform LASIK, cataract surgeries, emergency eye surgeries, and so much more. An ophthalmologist is likely not going to be in normal doctor office and instead is going to work in a specialty office or a surgical center. An ophthalmologist is going to be a specialist that you are going to need to be referred to.

Knowing what you need is important. If you are not in need of any sort of eye surgery, you can certainly just visit an optometrist every year and that will be sufficient. If your normal eye doctor finds that your eyes have more advanced issues or if you need eye surgery, you will likely be referred to an ophthalmologist to help you get the care that you need. Here at MECA Eye & Laser Center our team of ophthalmologists and optometrist provide every level of care a person needs.  Give us a call at (901) 767-3937 to set up an appointment.