Especially as you get older, you need all kinds of medical professionals that you might not have needed when you were younger or a child. Although even children need a good doctor for their eyes, many may wait until they’re older or actually in need before they go. As with anything health related, it’s always a good idea to get regular checkups and be as preemptive as possible, but when you are in the market for one, do you know how to choose an eye doctor in Buda Texas?

Your eyes are extremely important. It’s also very important to make sure your eye doctor is the best you can find. One good idea is to simply ask other medical professionals such as your own doctor or even a pediatrician. Not only will that most likely know many in the area, but they could also make a good recommendation based off of you and your family. Also, ask your family. If you’ve never asked, it’s possible there is a good family eye doctor who would most likely have your family history and an understanding of it. If not, then co-workers and friends could make some good recommendations (especially if they have glasses or contacts)

Outside of just asking around, check with specific professional organizations. Many have websites with ways to filter out exactly who or what you’re looking for.

Generally speaking, there are two types of eye doctors:

Optometrists – This doctor can treat select eye diseases, prescribe medication, but do not perform any eye surgeries. An optometrist would go to college, followed by going to Optometry school. Optionally, many will participate in programs where they learn about specializing in specific eye diseases.

Ophthalmologists – Eye M.D. This particular eye doctor specializes in eye and vision care, with specialty training in all aspects of eye care. Not only can they prescribe corrective lenses, but they can also provide eye surgery (simple to complex). This requires going to medical school, an internship, and a few years of hospital-based training (residency). While in residency, ophthalmologists receive special training in all that they do.

Depending on what you have going on with your eyes, you might need one over the other, so it helps to know which type of eye doctor you need to seek. If you’re just looking for a general eye exam or an overall checkup, you can go to either one and receive the care and attention that you need. If you’re looking for assistance with a certain type of eye disease, then you’d want to start looking for an ophthalmologist. When getting fitted for a corrective lens, or just getting more information on whether glasses or contacts are right for you, you would typically search for an optometrist.

When trying to figure out how to choose an eye doctor, one last thing you’ll want to look for is simply availability. When are they open, and does it work with your schedule? Are they open late, or on weekends? How far out are they scheduled? Some practices require weeks if not months in regard to scheduling a visit. Make sure if you might need emergency attention that they offer some sort of service that caters to your specific needs, otherwise you’ll be doing yourself a disservice.…