Most of the services of M.D.'s and D.O.'s are covered by Medicare. They give regular checkups and routine dental and preventive care, fill cavities, remove teeth, provide dentures, and check for cancers in the mouth. Dentists can prescribe medication and perform oral surgery. Medicare will not pay for any dental care except for surgery on the jaw or facial bones. They also prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses.
Ophthalmologists can prescribe drugs and perform surgery.
They often treat older people who have glaucoma and cataracts. Medicare helps pay for all medically necessary surgery or treatment of eye diseases and for exams and eyeglasses to correct vision after cataract surgery. But it will not pay for a routine exam, eyeglasses, or contact lenses. They are trained to diagnose eye abnormalities and prescribe, supply, and adjust eyeglasses and contact lenses. In most states optometrists can use drugs to diagnose eye disorders.