Visit A Kids Eye Safety Guide  to take a quiz to make sure you know how to protect your eyes and read.  You'll read some amazing eye facts at this site.

Ophthalmologists are physicians that study and treat eye disorders. They must graduate from medical school and complete at least 3 more years of training in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. Ophthalmologists can perform eye examinations, prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, treat eye diseases, and perform eye surgery. Some ophthalmologists specialize in certain parts of the eye, like the cornea (the clear cap at the front of the eye) or the retina ( the light-sensitive membrane lining the back of the eye). Others focus on a certain age group. Pediatric Ophthalmologists focus on eye issues of kids, for example, strabismus (cross-eye).

Sometimes eye exams can identify more than just eye problems.  Through eye exams, doctors can find out about things like high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and brain tumors. Ophthalmologists use special gadgets such as an ophthalmoscope. Eye charts are used to diagnose common vision problems, like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Disorders like these happen because of abnormally shaped eyes that keep the corneas and lens from correctly focusing light on the retina, distorting vision. These frequent eye problems are simply fixed with glasses or contact lenses. 

There are other ways to treat eye problems.  Recently, laser surgery has been used to recreate the shape of the eye's corneas in order to reduce or correct nearsightedness.  This is great because then people don't need to wear glasses.  In Photo Refractive Keratectomy (PRK) an ophthalmologist uses a laser beam and a small blade to treat nearsightedness. 

Glaucoma is a disorder that puts more pressure on the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. It's a very serious eye disease in the U.S. To check for glaucoma, an ophthalmologist uses a tonometer to measure the pressure of fluids in the eye. It can easily be treated with drugs if found early.

Credits

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 (1993-1998) Contributed by American Academy of Ophthalmology. (November 2003).

Images

Images of eye, eye chart, and glasses from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1> Images free for non-profit and personal use. (October-February, 2003-2004). 

Jokes

Bernstein, Joanne E. and Paul Cohen.  Dizzy Doctor Riddles. Niles, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. 1989.