Yes, an optometrist is a doctor, but not a medical doctor. Optometrists earn a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree, which is a professional doctorate similar to how dentists earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery. This distinction matters because it defines what an optometrist can and cannot do for your eyes compared to other types of eye care professionals.
What “Doctor” Means for an Optometrist
The title “doctor” applies to several types of professionals beyond physicians. Optometrists hold a doctoral-level degree and are licensed healthcare providers who examine, diagnose, and treat eye conditions. They are not, however, medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs). The difference comes down to the type of graduate program they complete and the scope of what they’re trained to do.
An ophthalmologist, by contrast, is a medical doctor who completed medical school, then specialized in eye care through a multi-year surgical residency. Ophthalmologists perform complex eye surgeries like cataract removal and retinal repair. An optician, the third type of eye care professional, is neither a doctor nor a licensed healthcare provider in most states. Opticians fit and dispense glasses and contact lenses based on prescriptions written by optometrists or ophthalmologists. They cannot examine your eyes, diagnose conditions, or prescribe anything.
Education and Training
Becoming an optometrist requires at least seven years of higher education. Applicants must complete a minimum of three years of undergraduate coursework (most complete a full four-year bachelor’s degree) before entering a four-year Doctor of Optometry program. Those four years combine classroom study with supervised clinical rotations in settings like hospitals and private practices, where students treat real patients under guidance.
After earning their O.D., optometrists can pursue an optional one-year residency to specialize. Residency programs are available in areas like pediatric eye care, ocular disease, low vision, contact lenses, and rehabilitative optometry. Optometrists who want board certification through the American Board of Optometry must either complete an accredited residency or accumulate qualifying points through continuing education, years in practice, and advanced patient care. Board certification is voluntary and signals a commitment to ongoing learning beyond the baseline licensing requirements. Certified optometrists earn the title “Diplomate” and maintain their certification through a continuous assessment program.
What an Optometrist Can Do
Optometrists perform comprehensive eye exams, test your vision, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, and diagnose eye diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic eye disease. They can also detect signs of systemic health conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure) that show up during a retinal exam. In all 50 states, optometrists can prescribe medications for eye infections, allergies, inflammation, and other conditions.
Their scope of practice has expanded significantly in recent years, particularly around minor surgical and laser procedures. More than a dozen states now allow optometrists to perform certain laser procedures. Oklahoma was one of the earliest in 1998, and states like Colorado, Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming, and others have followed. These laws typically authorize specific laser treatments used to manage conditions like secondary cataracts and certain types of glaucoma. Some states also permit optometrists to give injections and remove small skin lesions around the eye.
What optometrists generally cannot do is perform major eye surgeries like LASIK, cataract removal, or retinal procedures. Those remain in the domain of ophthalmologists. If your optometrist discovers a condition requiring surgery, they’ll refer you to an ophthalmologist for that procedure and often co-manage your recovery afterward.
How Scope of Practice Varies by State
One of the trickiest parts of understanding what an optometrist can do is that it depends on where you live. Each state sets its own rules. Alaska grants its optometry board broad authority to determine what falls within scope, and optometrists there currently perform laser procedures and injections. Colorado’s 2022 law specifically lists several laser procedures plus corneal cross-linking and suturing. Montana and West Virginia both passed expanded scope laws in 2025.
Other states take a more restrictive approach, limiting optometrists primarily to exams, prescriptions, and medication management. This patchwork means an optometrist practicing in Oklahoma may offer procedures that an equally qualified optometrist in a neighboring state cannot. If you’re wondering whether your optometrist can handle a specific procedure, your state’s optometry board website will have the current rules.
Optometrist vs. Ophthalmologist: Which Do You Need?
For routine eye exams, updated prescriptions, dry eye treatment, and management of common conditions like pink eye or mild glaucoma, an optometrist handles all of it. Most people see an optometrist as their primary eye care provider and never need an ophthalmologist unless something more serious comes up.
You’d typically see an ophthalmologist if you need eye surgery, have a complex or rare eye disease, or have a condition that requires ongoing surgical management. Many optometrists and ophthalmologists work in the same practices or referral networks, so moving between the two is usually seamless. Your optometrist is often the one who catches a problem early and connects you with a surgeon when needed.
Both are “eye doctors” in everyday conversation. The practical difference is that one is a primary care provider for your eyes, while the other is a surgical specialist. Knowing which is which helps you get the right care without unnecessary appointments or delays.