If you’re getting older, you might be seeing more medical specialists. The same is true for eye care. For years, you have probably been making annual visits to your local optometrist for vision checkups. Hopefully, you are already one of our patients. But now, you might need an eye care specialist to check for signs of glaucoma or macular degeneration. South Floridians can come see our top rated ophthalmologists in Fort Myers at Elmquist Eye Group.

What is an ophthalmologist?

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specializing in eye care and offering complete medical eye care, diagnosis and treatment for conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration. These physicians also monitor other health conditions like diabetes that impact eye health, and can perform early detection of eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy.

Our Elmquist ophthalmologists have extensive education and training — 12 years of training, in fact. Our doctors are medical doctors and have attend four years of medical school, a one-year internship, and a three-year medical residency. After that, our doctors have completed a one- to two-year fellowship, followed by several more years of advanced training enabling them to diagnose and treat a wide range of eye conditions and specialize in certain areas like glaucoma. Ophthalmologists perform all types of surgical eye procedures, including cataract removal, LASIK and eyelid repair (a procedure called blepharoplasty.)

Ophthalmologists typically have additional fellowship training in subspecialty areas like retina/cornea study, glaucoma disease specialty or even a surgical specialty in oculoplastic surgery. An ophthalmologist uses this additional training to diagnose and treat more complex eye conditions.

Alternatively, an optometrist is a doctor, but not a medical doctor. He or she will have a doctor of optometry degree (D.O.) degree rather than a medical (M.D.) degree. Optometrists train in a four-year program after obtaining an undergraduate college degree, and go through further clinical training throughout their careers. At Elmquist, we have all of these highly qualified professionals on our staff.

Choosing the right doctor

There are many compelling reasons for seeing our top rated ophthalmologists in Fort Myers. If you are over age 60, you are much more likely to develop issues like cataracts or macular degeneration. Furthermore, if you are a patient with other health conditions, these conditions can impact eye health. Our ophthalmologists will coordinate care with your primary physician or other healthcare specialists to care for conditions like diabetes and heart disease with a focus on eye care. As a team, we will manage your conditions and help you understand the impact those other conditions may have to your eye health.

Ask yourself what your eye care needs are. Do you just need annual vision checkups? Or do you have aging eyes or a condition that probably needs more specialized eye care? After careful thought, choose the doctor or practice you feel is most suitable for your unique eye care needs at this stage in your life.

Consider Elmquist

At Elmquist Eye Group, our top-rated Fort Myers ophthalmologists can provide you the eye care you need for any medical issue. Our physicians and highly trained staff are ready to offer you our comprehensive eye health care services, so call us today because we want you to be our next new patient.