Since more than half of the growing and aging U.S. population wears glasses or contact lenses, optometrists certainly don't have a shortage of work. More information American Optometric Association 243 North Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, Mo. Among their responsibilities is giving eye exams to not only uncover vision problems such as nearsightedness, but to diagnose diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma. They also test patients' depth perception and ability to see colors.
Optometrists also prescribe glasses or contact lenses, or medications to treat eye diseases.
They use equipment such as a slit lamp, used to examine various parts of the eye, or a ophthalmoscope, used to examine the optic nerve and detect symptoms of diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness. We can now treat a wide variety of problems right here in the office'' because of advances in technology, said optometrist Pamela Brown, who works in the office of Dr. Allan Robbins in Rochester. Robbins is an ophthalmologist, a physician specializing in diseases and disorders of the eye. This means they may have to handle business chores such as record keeping and hiring employees. Many optometrists don't work solely in a private practice, but pull double-duty by working in both an office and a retail outlet or clinic.