Ophthalmologists are specialists just like any other medical specialist, e.g. a dermatologist.
Does the fact that general practitioners refer people on to dermatologists mean that family doctors are not 'real doctors'?
Sorry if that sounds aggressive, I am unfairly taking the inference from what you said that opticians are somehow 'fake'.
> I am unfairly taking the inference from what you said that opticians are somehow 'fake'.
Opticians are equivalent to pharma techs (or dental hygienists as dogma1138 noted), could you be thinking about optometrists (sometimes called Ophthalmic Opticians in the UK)?
You mean physician. An optometrist typically has a Doctor of Optometry degree. One can argue if that's really a Dr. (I'd say it more like an MS), but nonetheless they could be called Dr. They also write prescriptions for lenses.
An optician fits the glasses, which is more like the technician.
An optometry program lasts four years, so that is equivalent to the schooling needed for an MD. (After schooling there is a state and national examination in order to get the license.)
I don't want to be excessively glib here, but general practice in modern medicine is often very close to being "health theater" like the TSA is security theater.
We're not talking about the rural doctors of old, their job could be automated in the next five years or so.
I was thinking of pharmacists. They are sorta kinda doctorish (they even get Doctor of Pharmacy degrees), but not really. They are supposed to be consulted by doctors as the prime authority on medications, but this seems to rarely happen outside of hospitals. Doctors most likely think they know enough about the medications they prescribe to not need regular help.
Oh, and what about podiatrists? Health care seems sufficiently splintered that I would have never wondered why dentistry is separate.
By the same token, you could argue that dentists are also real. They are licensed and they can prescribe drugs and perform procedures independently.
My point was more to show that dentistry is not unique in being separate from the medical profession. There are a variety of health professions that have responsibility and esteem that aren't MDs.
In Greece too. As long as you have the older prescription (basically a small form with the required information filed in) you can get new spectacles without having to visit the ophthalmologist. The prescription is not taken away
In many cases, eyewear shops have ophthalmologists employed on site with all necessary equipment and they test you for free.
> As long as you have the older prescription (basically a small form with the required information filed in) you can get new spectacles without having to visit the ophthalmologist. The prescription is not taken away. In many cases, eyewear shops have ophthalmologists employed on site with all necessary equipment
This is true in the US too. (And the prescriptions must be transferable by law.)