Optometry Fort Myers
Most people have heard of ophthalmology and optometry, but may not understand the differences between these two fields of eye care. In Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Elmquist Eye Group offers both types of eye care professionals to provide your family with the best possible care.
Trevor Elmquist, DO, is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He specializes in general ophthalmology and cataract surgery. He has two ophthalmology associates, Yasaira Rodriguez, MD and Sarah Eccles-Brown, MD. His associates, Kate Wagner, OD, partner, and Nina Burt, OD, are board certified optometrists who provide comprehensive eye care services.
Patients throughout Southwest Florida have been coming to Elmquist Eye Group for more than 20 years for the highest quality eye care, including cataract evaluations and surgery, glaucoma evaluation and treatment, diabetic eye exams, dry eye evaluation and treatment, and other eye conditions that may affect everyone from children to seniors.
Click on the links below to find out more about the wide variety of services we provide:
- Comprehensive Eye Exams – for ages 5 and up
- Diabetic Eye Exams
- Full Service Optical
- Cataract Evaluations
- Refractive Cataract Surgery
- Glaucoma Evaluation & Treatment
- Macular Degeneration Evaluation
- Dry Eye Diagnosis & Treatment
- Blepharitis Treatment – Spa Scrubs
What is an Optometrist?
Doctors of Optometry, or optometrists, provide primary vision care that ranges from eye tests and vision correction to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases, injuries, and disorders of the eye. They can prescribe medications, counsel patients about surgical and non-surgical treatment options, and perform certain surgical procedures.
Optometrists are not medical doctors. After graduating from college, they complete four years of education at a college of optometry to earn a doctor of optometry (O.D.) degree. Then, they are required to pass rigorous tests to become licensed by the state in which they intend to practice.
Kate Wagner, OD, and Nina Burt, OD, part of the Elmquist Eye Group team, are both board certified by the State of Florida and the National Board of Optometry.
What is an Ophthalmologist?
Ophthalmologists are medical or osteopathic doctors (M.D. or D.O.) who specialize in the comprehensive medical and surgical care of the eyes and vision. They are trained to diagnose and treat all eye diseases, perform eye surgery, and correct vision problems with eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Ophthalmologists have more training than optometrists. They complete four years of college, four years of medical school and one year of internship. They also spend at least three years in an approved surgical residency program in ophthalmology.
Residency involves training in the fundamentals of all of the subspecialty fields of ophthalmology, such as pediatric ophthalmology, glaucoma, retina, cornea, oculoplastics and ocular oncology. Ophthalmologists must also pass rigorous tests to obtain a state license to practice medicine, and many of them do research on causes and cures for various eye diseases and vision disorders.
Dr. Trevor Elmquist is a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) and a board certified ophthalmologist. He has been selected as one of America’s Top Doctors in ophthalmology by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a list that’s reserved for the top one percent of doctors in each medical field, both nationally and regionally, based on the nominations of other physicians.
Whether our Elmquist Eye Group doctors practice optometry or ophthalmology, each of them plays a very important role in providing eye care for your family in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Call us today at (239) 936-2020 to learn more.