Eye Doctor or Optometrist?

As long as you go to one or the other, you are fine. Even as you get older, continuing to see an optometrist is just fine. Optometrists can also diagnose are treat many disorders and diseases of the eye such as glaucoma. The only difference is optometrists cannot do surgery but can refer you to the correct specialist depending on the disorder, ex. cataract surgeon, retinal surgeon, corneal specialist, glaucoma specialist, etc.

Optometrists also conduct dilation exams on a regular basis and are fully capable of treating and managing most eye health issues.

Optometrists ARE eye doctors. They have a four year bachelors degree, followed by a four year doctoral program to earn a doctor of optometry degree. Historically, optometrists have been (and still are) specialists in prescribing eye glasses and contact lenses. In the last 15-20 years optometrists have continued to expand their scope of practice and regularly dilate patients, treat eye diseases like glaucoma, and are able to refer patients in need of more specialized or surgical care from an ophthalmologist. The best advice I would give is to NOT get your medical or health related information from websites like this. ASK your doctor these questions! I am an optometrist and have been browsing these questions and as a highly trained doctor I find many of these answers and suggestions very concerning. Please, please, please seek more reputable advice on websites maintained by knowledgeable professionals.

I seriously hope that for the past 5 years, you aint wearing the same contact lenses without changing. How severe is the redness in the left eye after removing the contact lenses? Redness do occur after removal of lenses due to long hours of wearing. If the redness clears away after a few minutes, I would advise you to shorten your wearing hours. If the redness is still present even after the next day, then it is advisable to cease lens wear for a week and at the same time, consult your optometrist.

There is nothing wrong with going to an optometrist when one is younger, but it's important to start seeing an ophthalmologist as you get older and/or if you have genetic predispositions to eye disease. Eye diseases such as cataracts, ocular hypertension, glaucoma, and macular degeneration can start with no symptoms and if caught early, can be treated much more successfully.

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Jadine. how much money are you being paid?

best to look after our eyes and not get into trouble in the first place

Because maybe they don't have insurance that covers optometrist (OD) but they may have coverage for ophthalmologist (DO or MD).