ophthalmologist

/ɑpθəˈmɑlədʒɪst/

/ɒfθəˈmɒlədʒɪst/

Other forms: ophthalmologists

If you can't see the board from your desk, it might be time to visit an ophthalmologist, or eye doctor, to see if you need glasses.

An ophthalmologist is a doctor whose specialty is diseases and conditions of the eyes, especially things that relate to vision. She's the doctor who examines your eyes and writes the prescription for your contact lenses. The Greek root word is ophthalmos, which means "eye." Ophthalmologist is a tricky word to spell, particularly because many people tend to skip both the "ph" and the first "l" when they pronounce it.

Definitions of ophthalmologist

1. noun

   a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye
   synonyms: eye doctor, oculist

   examples:

   Hermann Snellen

   Dutch ophthalmologist who introduced the Snellen chart to study visual acuity (1834-1908)

   type of:

   medical specialist, specialist

   someone who practices one branch of medicine