What does an ophthalmologist treat? Is an ophthalmologist an ophthalmologist? How often should you have your eyes checked

The eyes are the most important body, thanks to, healthy people can see the world and admire its abundance of colors. Closing them, we plunge into darkness, and it is very scary to imagine that some part of the planet's population lives with this all their lives.

When you look at something or someone, you don’t even have time to understand what coordinated and efficient work is happening at that moment in the visual apparatus and brain, so that the names of this picture appear in front of you in exact position and correct color reproduction.

The eyes, as you see them, are a flawless and unique structure made up of many elements, including the pupil, lens, retina, ciliary body, and others. However, it happens that one of them may refuse to work. This entails a deterioration in the quality of vision and life in general.

Medical statistics show that 50% of Russians have some kind of eye disorder. The most common are cataracts, myopia, hyperopia, and retinal anomalies. But the worst thing is that every year the number of patients is growing, and pathologies are becoming more diverse. Of course, heredity and environmental degradation contribute to this. But most often the blame for what happened lies with us, because we eat poorly, we wrong image life, we spend a lot of time at the computer, phone and TV, and forget about regular preventive examinations.

If he talks about which doctor to contact with eye problems or just for a consultation, then he is called an ophthalmologist. This article is intended for us to understand who an ophthalmologist is and what he treats.

This doctor may be familiar to someone as an oculist, but the essence of the specialty does not change from this. An ophthalmologist is a doctor who is able to diagnose the state of the organs of vision, identify their diseases, and also carry out necessary treatment and preventive actions keeping the eyes working. In addition, his competence also includes eye appendages, among which eyelids, lacrimal gland with ducts extending from it, the conjunctiva, and the entire orbit.

As a generalization, what an ophthalmologist treats can be combined and presented in this way:

• Eyes;
• Ocular fundus;
• Cornea.

Modern ophthalmology has reached a level where serious illness are completely cured with the help of operations, the duration of which is only a few minutes. However, its development does not stop, because there are still many tasks ahead that have yet to be solved.

List of diseases treated this specialist very long and varied. However, there are several major disorders that fit under the category of "what an ophthalmologist treats." This applies to:

• Myopia is an eye anomaly caused by a defect in vision, due to which a person clearly sees everything that is near him, but the distant image is blurry for him. This is explained by the fact that in healthy eye the picture is formed on the retina, and with such a violation - in front of it.
• Hyperopia - visual refraction, during which focusing on distant objects occurs behind the retina.
• Astigmatism - loss of clarity of vision, due to deformations of the eye itself or its individual components, for example, the cornea or lens.
• Cataracts are diseases of the eye, during which the lens becomes cloudy, and vision is disturbed or completely lost.
• Glaucoma is a series of disorders characterized by permanent or periodic increase pressure inside the eye, which in turn leads to a decrease in visual acuity, the appearance of defects and atrophy of the optic nerves.

What does an ophthalmologist do and what does he do?

Who is an ophthalmologist and what does he treat, we found out. So let's now move on to the question of what else he can do. Undoubtedly, its main task is to therapeutic measures with any disease of the eyes and surrounding organs.

The list of diseases can be extended by strabismus, detachment and other pathologies of the retina, keratoconus, disorders optic nerve, diabetic retinopathy, presbyopia and other diseases.

Another goal of the oculist is to prevent all deterioration in work. visual apparatus, that is, their prevention, which is not possible without an annual eye test in a medical institution. Here special role plays the responsibility of the person who must attend scheduled checkups at least once a year.

Diagnosis of eye diseases also lies with the ophthalmologist, but with some of them, he needs to look at the picture of the condition from the inside, for which he issues directions to additional tests and tests.

In the course of the article, you could already indicate for yourself what the ophthalmologist treats, but despite this, his competence still has a number of tasks that a highly qualified specialist must also cope with. It will be discussed:

• About the correction of visual defects that could provoke an illness or congenital anomaly. Correction may be offered through some kind of training, procedures, or selection of lenses (glasses);
• On the appointment of a therapeutic course or surgery with an established diagnosis;
• About prevention hereditary diseases eyes, as well as age pathological changes;
• On control over the state of the organs of the visual apparatus, if a person has another disease that can cause complications in the eyes;
• About treatment allergic reactions that cause increased tearing;
• O helper methods treatment of inflammatory diseases on the eyelid (barley, abscess);
• About the restoration of the arrangement of cartilage, which can change and disrupt normal growth eyelashes;
• On the care of patients with hemorrhages in the eyes caused by colds, most often due to coughing;
• On advising patients on the choice of glasses for working at a computer, eye drops from fatigue and in other matters.

What symptoms should be referred to an ophthalmologist?

It is unlikely that anyone needs to explain what an ophthalmologist does. You may have no idea about the work of an audiologist, never meet a traumatologist, and if you are very lucky, then with a cardiologist, but we all go through the hands of this doctor (also called an ophthalmologist, and colloquially - “eye specialist”) we all go through, even if we are healthy , because his consultation is included in any "duty" medical examination (both when entering a kindergarten, and during pregnancy, and when applying for a job, and, of course, when obtaining a driver's license). And this is not surprising: after all, vision is the main “information channel”, more than half of the information about the world around us is received through it.

The word "ophthalmology" translated from Greek means "the doctrine of the eye" (another name for this medical specialty- oculist - comes from the Latin "oculus" - eye). This is the name of the science of anatomy, physiology of the eye, its diseases, their diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Science is quite ancient: even the ancient Roman physician Cornelius Celsus described the structure of the eye, divided blindness into irreversible (glaucoma) and reversible (cataract). The medieval Arab physician Ibn Al-Haytham laid the foundations of medical optics (his works largely contributed to the invention of glasses), paid a lot of attention to Ibn-Sin's eye diseases in his Canon of Medical Medicine.

Practical task of ophthalmology with which we meet most often is a test of visual acuity. For this, special tables are used, made up of the same type of characters (the so-called optotypes) of different sizes - these can be letters, rings with a gap in different places(the so-called Landolt rings) or (for children) pictures. For the first time such a table was developed in 1862 by the Dutch ophthalmologist G. Snellen - and it is still used abroad. Visual acuity according to this system is expressed as a simple fraction, where the numerator is the distance at which the patient is from the table (6 m), the denominator is the distance from which the eye should normally distinguish these letters.

In our country, a similar table is used, developed by the Soviet ophthalmologist D. Sivtsev. It includes letters and Landolt rings.

However, what we have just talked about (checking visual acuity and its correction, others functional disorders vision) is the competence of an optometrist. In our country, such a specialty - optometry - is still little known (although there is a certain analogue of it - an optical technician), only in last years In some educational institutions(in particular, in St. Petersburg medical college) there was a specialty “ Medical optics”(and ophthalmologists still look down on optometrists, considering them “dropouts”), but abroad, the specialties of an ophthalmologist and an optometrist have long been separated (they even receive education in different curricula). The main task of an optometrist is a mass examination, detection of eye diseases, vision correction, if necessary, a referral to an ophthalmologist (on the other hand, an ophthalmologist can also refer a patient to an optometrist to prescribe glasses or contact lenses).

Ophthalmology, on the other hand, involves a wider range of diseases and treatments.- including medicinal and surgical ... after all, eye diseases are not limited to myopia and hyperopia: cataract (clouding of the lens), cataract (clouding of the cornea), non-opening lacrimal canal in newborns, ptosis (omission) upper eyelid and much more - this is all the competence of an ophthalmologist.

Speaking of ophthalmology, it is impossible not to mention about our great compatriots. One of them is Vladimir Filatov, who developed a method for transplanting a donor cornea (taken from a corpse). Yes, he was not the first - the first corneal transplant was performed by E. Zirm in 1905 - but through the efforts of Filatov, this operation, which returned sight to thousands of people suffering from corneal clouding, ceased to be a rare experiment and became commonplace in medical practice.

Another great name- Svyatoslav Fedorov. Among the merits of this remarkable ophthalmologist - surgical treatment glaucoma on early stages, implantation artificial lens... it was a truly revolutionary method: it was believed that this was impossible - that the eye would reject a foreign body - but S. Fedorov managed to succeed, and now it is practically the only method, which allows you to save the patient from cataracts (clouding of the lens), the alternative to it is only drugs that can only slow down the development of the disease, but not eliminate the clouding. S. Fedorov did a lot in the field of keratotomy - surgical treatment of the cornea, which allowed many people suffering from myopia to remove glasses, and also helps with astigmatism ...

However, surgical treatment of myopia is already yesterday: modern ophthalmology offers a better and safe method– laser therapy.

… But many practicing ophthalmologists still tell patients that better glasses so far nothing has been invented ... due to the natural medical conservatism associated with the doctor's main commandment - "do no harm"? Or are they not so wrong - maybe it's really better not to rush, to wait for more advanced methods? And they will definitely be - after all, the development of ophthalmology continues.

Everyone had to visit the ophthalmologist's office. Even if there are no problems with vision, everyone is at his reception. After all, no medical examination is possible without checking the health of the eyes. But what do we know about an ophthalmologist, or, as is common parlance, an ophthalmologist and an eye specialist?

An ophthalmologist is a doctor who diagnoses and treats eye diseases. Such diseases can be acquired or congenital, but in any case they limit the possibilities of patients.

The main tasks of an ophthalmologist

The competence of an ophthalmologist is the diagnosis and treatment of any pathologies of vision, increased eye pressure, inflammation of the lacrimal system and eyes. If the organs of vision are damaged or a foreign body gets into them, the doctor provides emergency assistance. A doctor of such specialization must determine the level of vision of the patient and decide on the method of its correction (glasses, lenses, laser procedures).

In addition to the professionalism of an ophthalmologist, it is important that he uses medical equipment. Accurate modern equipment is indispensable in the diagnosis of ailments. It depends on her further treatment and even the patient's life.

The powers of the ophthalmologist include the following procedures:

• Ophthalmoscopy - visual inspection of the fundus with a magnifying lens,
• Tonometry - determination of intraocular pressure,
• Biomicroscopy - visual study of optical media and tissues of the eye with multiple magnification,
• Visometry - measurement of visual characteristics,
• Skiascopy is an objective determination of the refraction of the eye (its refractive power, which is expressed in diopters), hypermetropia, myopia, astigmatism.
• Iridology is a non-specific diagnosis of hereditary and pathological changes in the body by changes in the color tone and structure of the iris.

In addition, the ophthalmologist surgical intervention if necessary.

Comments:

(see also Optometrist)

What is included in the competence of an ophthalmologist

What diseases does an ophthalmologist deal with?

What organs does an ophthalmologist deal with?

When to See an Ophthalmologist

Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyelid (conjunctiva). If the eyelid is turned out, then you can immediately see where the main focus of the disease is. The conjunctiva is red, edematous, often reminiscent of a “cobblestone pavement” in relief. Viral conjunctivitis is almost always combined with SARS (begins with it). Conjunctivitis is sometimes confused with keratitis.

Spring Qatar - the disease has a pronounced seasonality. The symptoms are similar to ordinary conjunctivitis, but it begins exclusively in the spring, drags on for a long time, sometimes for years (exacerbation - every spring).

Trachoma - the disease proceeds similarly viral conjunctivitis, but does not go away for a long time (sometimes for months).

Chalazion - a dense, painless ball on the eyelid. It is usually neither red nor hot. Just a volumetric formation (the size of a pinhead or more), which appears suddenly and does not go away for a long time (while it does not change in size).

Barley - volume education on inner corner eyelids (closer to the nose), painful on pressure, bright red, hot. Barley is usually moderate in size (several millimeters in diameter). Disappears without a trace or previously opened with the separation of pus.

Eyelid abscess - located in any part of the eyelid (as a rule, the process begins from former barley or around the eyelash bulb). The eye is red, painful, often there is increased lacrimation. Distinctive feature- dimensions (it can be from half a centimeter to several centimeters, sometimes it occupies the entire eyelid, while the eyelid thickens several times).

Ptosis (drooping of the eyelid) - is manifested by the drooping of the eyelid with the inability to fully raise it. As a symptom, accompanies many inflammatory diseases(for example, an abscess), but how independent disease, never accompanied by signs of inflammation (redness, swelling, pain).

Eversion of the eyelids - no signs of inflammation. The eyelids are deformed (turned outwards, do not retract).

Scleritis or episcleritis - both eyes are affected, the disease develops very slowly. Initially, as a rule, there is a bluish roller, often one or more tubercles around the cornea.

Keratitis - the cornea is cloudy (this is noticeable, since in one eye it is less transparent, less shiny than in the other). Decreased vision in the affected eye. According to some symptoms (lacrimation, pain, "sand in the eyes") it is similar to conjunctivitis, but if you study reverse side century, it is practically not changed, but the defects on the cornea are noticeable.

Corneal ulcer - usually occurs after keratitis. On the surface of the cornea, you can see a defect (fossa with uneven edges). The disease is associated with severe pain.

Iridocyclitis - the iris is inflamed, which means that the eye "changes color" (usually to greenish or red). The pupil in the affected eye is often narrowed or deformed. The whites of the eyes are red. Pressing on the eyeball is very painful. An accumulation of white flakes of pus is visible under the cornea. Vision is deteriorating.

When and what tests should be done

An important role in the pathology of the organ of vision is played by infectious diseases, such as:

Herpetic infection (HSV).
- Adenovirus infection.
- Cytomeganovirus (CMV).
- Toxoplasmosis.
- Chlamydia (Trachoma).
- Mycoplasmosis.
- Mononucleosis ( Epstein-Barr virus), as well as viral hepatitis"B" and "C".

What are the main types of diagnostics usually performed by an Ophthalmologist

Nicotine kills horses and good eyesight

If your eyes are dear to you, try to stop smoking. Nicotine is detrimental to vision.

In addition to common diseases respiratory tract and the whole organism, it dilates the blood vessels, and then narrows, disrupting the nutrition of the eye. And this can lead to ischemia of the retina and a decrease in the blood supply to the organ. Good eyesight and smoking are incompatible.

Polluted air and water also contribute to visual impairment.

Diet for good vision

To improve visual acuity, fruits and vegetables are needed, blueberries and carrots are very useful, they help improve visual functions. In other words, everything that contains vitamin A, E, beta-carotene, lycopene and other antioxidants is necessary for good vision.

Promotions and special offers

medical news

06.09.2018

New glasses and toys - such gifts were received from the professional optics salon "Excimer", the company Essilor and TV presenter Andrey Malakhov, the pupils of the Center social rehabilitation disabled people and disabled children of the Krasnoselsky district of St. Petersburg during a recent charity event.

Poor eyesight is a scourge modern society. There are more people wearing glasses and lenses on the streets every year, and the reason for this is the constant work at the computer, the active use of smartphones and watching TV. At the same time, most turn a blind eye to the recommendations of doctors. Take breaks? Charging? No, we haven't.

Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that studies the human visual organs, their anatomy, physiology and diseases, develops new and improves existing methodologies prevention and treatment of eye diseases. In turn, an oculist is a doctor who studies the etiology and mechanisms of development of all eye diseases. Who is an ophthalmologist (oculist) we learn in childhood, since regular eye examinations are required for kindergarten and primary school schools.

What does an ophthalmologist treat in adults and children

The vast majority of visits to the ophthalmologist are associated with visual impairment - nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hypermetropia). Who is an ophthalmologist? This is a person who makes the lives of thousands of people bright and full, returning the ability to clearly see the world around us and freely navigate in space. Other common eye diseases include cataracts, astigmatism, glaucoma, keratoconus, and others. separate group there are hereditary and age-related diseases, manifested pigmentary degeneration retina.

It is worth noting that a doctor of any other specialization can refer to an ophthalmologist, since complications in the eyes can complicate the course of almost any disease: hypertension, allergic reactions, tuberculosis, acute infectious diseases, pancreatitis, diabetes, obesity, disease endocrine system. The list can be continued for a long time. Vision can deteriorate due to complications after kidney disease, atherosclerosis, lesions blood vessels and even pregnancy. In order to understand what kind of doctor is an ophthalmologist, here is an extended list of diseases that he treats:

blepharitis - inflammation of the edges of the eyelids;

conjunctivitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyelid;

farsightedness, myopia and astigmatism;

seasonal allergies;

cataract;

glaucoma;

trachoma - inflammation of the connective membrane of the eye;

chalazion;

tearing;

• trichiasis - abnormal growth of eyelashes;

• hemorrhages;

  ptosis - drooping of the upper eyelid;

  scleritis, episcleritis - inflammation of the entire thickness of the sclera of the eye;

  eyelid deformities;

  presbyopia ("senile vision");

  iridocyclitis - inflammation of the iris and ciliary body of the eye;

  eye injury;

  corneal diseases;

  retinal detachment and other diseases visual system person.

Preventive and urgent examination by an ophthalmologist

The child learns who an ophthalmologist is and what he treats at 2 months. More precisely, he himself does not yet realize this, but it is at this age that you need to visit the first appointment with the ophthalmologist with the baby. Identified in early age pathology will increase the chances of complete cure or successful containment of the disease. Human eyes are finally formed only by the age of 12-14, so before this age it is extremely necessary to regularly visit an ophthalmologist. It is advisable for adults to be checked at least once a year, especially if vision problems are already known: the dynamics of deterioration / improvement of vision is assessed, treatment is prescribed and preventive therapy a prescription for new glasses or contact lenses.

Even if you do not know what an ophthalmologist does, you must remember the main signs that it is time for you to make an appointment with him. The following symptoms apply to both adults and children, unless otherwise noted.

• In children older than 2 months, the tracking reflex for moving objects (for example, a finger) disappears;
• the child periodically squints or rubs his eyes;
• one or both eyes do not close completely;
• strabismus;
• barley formation;
• pain in the eye area, burning, itching, redness, swelling;
• atypical discharge from the eyes, profuse lacrimation;
• increased sensitivity to light;
• eye and head injuries;
• the appearance of iridescent circles before the eyes, blurred vision, double vision, "flies" and other visual defects.

What does an ophthalmologist do at the appointment

Before you go to an appointment with an ophthalmologist, you should find out about the upcoming examination in more detail, understand what the ophthalmologist (oculist) checks. Assessed condition tear ducts and eyelid, position and mobility eyeballs, strabismus is excluded. The study of the fundus, the state of the pupils is carried out, their reaction to light is determined. Visual acuity is tested in a standard way: from a certain distance, the patient, alternately closing one of the eyes, calls the letters indicated by the doctor. Children are shown pictures or rings with cutouts, depending on age. Skiascopy allows you to clarify the degree of refraction of the visual system, measured in diopters. simple tests the ability to distinguish colors and their shades is assessed. In some cases, an immunogram and immunodiagnosis may be required. To the question "Oculist - who is this?" the easiest answer is this: this is a person who will help you see the world around you as it really is. We wish you health!