An ophthalmologist, also known as an eye doctor, is a doctor who deals exclusively with parts of the body related to the visual passageways; that is, the eyes, the brain, and the areas around the eye, such as eyelids. An ophthalmologist will inspect the eye for disease, and may perform surgery on the eyes if necessary. In some cases, an ophthalmologist may be able to identify problems that aren't related to vision, such as brain tumors or diabetes mellitus.

An ophthalmologist is different from an optometrist, in that an ophthalmologist is a fully licensed medical doctor who is qualified to practice surgery, while an optometrist has completed a graduate degree in optometry. Optometrists deal with prescribing glasses or contact lenses for vision problems, but cannot use surgery to correct vision problems, as an ophthalmologist can.

Sometimes, an ophthalmologist may have a particular specialty, such as disease of the cornea, retina and vitreous diseases, glaucoma, eye problems in children, or plastic surgery. However, an ophthalmologist may have a more generalized practice, and may be involved with testing vision and prescribing corrective eye wear or contact lenses, as an optometrist would.

When surgery is required to correct a vision problem, there are several different techniques that an ophthalmologist may use. In some cases, an ophthalmologist may need to use a scalpel and other invasive tools to remove obstructions from the eye; however, recently, laser eye surgery, or LASIK, has become very common.

In the LASIK system, which was developed in 1990, the ophthalmologist creates a flap in the patient's cornea, and then uses a highly accurate laser to remodel the middle section of the cornea, which improves the patient's vision. The LASIK technique relies on an advanced eye tracking system, and is much safer than traditional eye surgery. However, it is not always as effective as it should be; recent reports indicate that as much as 18 percent of LASIK patients needed to go back for another treatment.

Besides the ophthalmologist and the optometrist, there are many other types of professionals who are involved in eye care. These include opticians, who design and fit eyeglasses and contact lenses; ophthalmic medical assistants, who assist an ophthalmologist with general procedures; ophthalmic technicians, who assist the ophthalmologist with more advanced surgical procedures; and ophthalmic photographers, who take photographic images to document the quality of a patient's eye.