optometry vs opthamology
 

does anyone have any thoughts on who is best to see.. an optometrist vs an opthamologist? i am looking to see someone for an evaluation that deals with neuro related eye issues but also to look at the health of my eyes overall.

Both can check out your eye health. Opto's may be trained in behavioral optometry. Ophthalmologists are MD's. They don't usually get into the behavioral opto issues. Neuro-ophthalmologists are more specialized. If your concern is your misreading of words, a behavioral optometrist may be a good start. I think you are being too hard are yourself. Unless you are constantly misreading words, I suggest you go slow with seeking treatment.

thanks Mark, can I ask why you suggest I go slow with seeking treatment? is it your general feeling that doctors are (while well meaning) not super useful?

If your struggle is just the occasional misread, letting your brain heal and learning to lower stress levels may be as effective or more effective than any therapies. Some get so wrapped up in therapies that they become fatigued from the therapy. Then, they can not determine between therapy fatigue and PCS fatigue.

My mva left me with an injury to my left eye. If you are having issues with your vision such as flashing lights and black holes in your vision, I would seek a consult.

a consult with an ophthalmologist or optometrist? other than their MD vs OD degrees i don't really understand the difference in their abilities.

Ophthalmologists will cost $200 to $400 for an exam. An optometrist will likely cost less than $100, at least to start.

The question is, What is your concern that you want answered by a specialist ?

well i'm trying to make sure that the only visual problems i am having are neurological in nature and not something physically wrong with my eye (which may require intervention).

By visual problems, do you mean misreading words ? or, do you have other visual problems ?

misreading is one problem. my eyes also get sore from working on the computer for a while with reading. these both are neuro related i'm sure but i also just want to make sure there is no eye damage since one of the incidents was being hit by a bicyclist in the face and i was also poked in my eye by a resident who examined me which caused about a month worth of inflammation.

An optometrist should be fine. If needed, an opto could refer you to an MD.