What does an ophthalmologist do?
An ophthalmologist is an eye physician specializing in the care and treatment of eyes and vision. Ophthalmologists are trained and licensed to practice medicine and surgery of the eye and treat all eye diseases. Ophthalmologists also engage in scientific research work to find out causes of eye diseases and vision disorders and come up with cures for these eye problems. The main role of this eye physician is to first preserve and improve a patient's vision.
Ophthalmologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real ophthalmologist resumes:
- Process medical and insurance claims, medical billing, CPT 4 and ICD 9 coding.
- Perform tests: visual acuity, color vision, visual field, eye pressure, dilation, and OCT.
- Work with EHR program, EMA.
- Co-Manage cataracts, PRK/LASIK, DSEK, DMEK, and PTK.
- Assist in diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
- Comply with HIPAA and various other standard policies.
- Measure patient's eye length using an IOL master.
- Perform surgeries: cataracts, pterigium, galaucoma, ect.
- Operate auto refractor, visual field, corneal topography and IOL master.
- Order and interpret visual fields, fluorescein angiography, eye and orbital ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography tests.
- Assist with multi line phones, scanning of EHR records and any and all admin or billing duties as assigned.
- Refer to proper optometrists for corrective lenses -Keep abreast with developments and trends in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
- Consult and refer patients to other health care practitioners if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
- Perform operation on cataract and glaucoma independently.
- Conduct literature review and analysis of open angle glaucoma.
Ophthalmologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 26% of Ophthalmologists are proficient in Patients, Ophthalmology, and Surgery. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Ophthalmologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 26%
Coordinate appointments and rapidly complete insurance verification effectively for emergency walk in patients lacking a referral.
- Ophthalmology, 19%
Front Office Supervisor/Medical Secretary Supervisory duties involved scheduling and maintenance of daily appointments for busy ophthalmology practice.
- Surgery, 12%
Participated in the National campaign of Cataract surgery.
- Patient Care, 6%
Handle appeals, contracting, chart auditing as well as support in patient care.
- Glaucoma, 4%
Conducted literature review and analysis of open angle glaucoma.
- EMR, 4%
Schedule appointments and maintain and update appointment calendars via EMR system.
Most ophthalmologists use their skills in "patients," "ophthalmology," and "surgery" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential ophthalmologist responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an ophthalmologist to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Additionally, an ophthalmologist resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "explained situations and options to patients, using strong communication skills to ensure understanding of needs. "
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling ophthalmologist duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." According to an ophthalmologist resume, here's how ophthalmologists can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "greet patients in a courteous manner leadership mindset for the. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of ophthalmologists is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday ophthalmologist duties, as "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "worked in all scopes of optometry, with emphasis on children, minorities, and mentally and physically disabled patients. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain ophthalmologist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of an ophthalmologist rely on this skill, as "physicians and surgeons need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what ophthalmologists do: "processed customer orders and performed thorough inventory of contact supply/solutions provided prompt and courteous customer service to patients leadership. "
Detail oriented. Another common skill required for ophthalmologist responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of ophthalmologists all the time, as "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." An excerpt from a real ophthalmologist resume shows how this skill is central to what an ophthalmologist does: "trusted to open and close office inventoried, ordered and maintained office supplies oriented new hires to office procedures and policies"
The three companies that hire the most ophthalmologists are:
- VCA Animal Hospitals9 ophthalmologists jobs
- Ethos Veterinary Health7 ophthalmologists jobs
- U.S. Vision6 ophthalmologists jobs
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Compare different ophthalmologists
Ophthalmologist vs. Optometrist
A licensed optometrist is primarily responsible for the vision and eye care of clients, treating different conditions such as astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. Their duties mostly revolve around performing eye and vision tests, diagnosing issues, providing consultations, prescribing corrective glasses and lenses, and educating clients on proper eye care methods. Furthermore, an optometrist must maintain records of all cases and treatment plans, and supervise support staff should they choose to work at a private clinic or a similar setting.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between ophthalmologists and optometrist. For instance, ophthalmologist responsibilities require skills such as "ophthalmology," "surgery," "emr," and "yag." Whereas a optometrist is skilled in "customer service," "pre," "safety factors," and "macular degeneration." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Optometrists really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $163,075. Comparatively, ophthalmologists tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $188,717.The education levels that optometrists earn slightly differ from ophthalmologists. In particular, optometrists are 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an ophthalmologist. Additionally, they're 8.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmologist vs. Ophthalmologist-retina specialist
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, ophthalmologist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "ophthalmology," "surgery," and "patient care." Meanwhile, an ophthalmologist-retina specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "clinical research," "scheduling appointments," "ultrasound," and "appointments registration." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, ophthalmologist-retina specialists achieve lower levels of education than ophthalmologists. They're 6.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 8.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmologist vs. Pediatric ophthalmologist
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, ophthalmologists are more likely to have skills like "patients," "ophthalmology," "surgery," and "patient care." But a pediatric ophthalmologist is more likely to have skills like "insurance benefits," "scheduling appointments," "office procedures," and "surgery scheduling."
Pediatric ophthalmologists typically earn similar educational levels compared to ophthalmologists. Specifically, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 15.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Ophthalmologist vs. General ophthalmologist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between ophthalmologists and general ophthalmologists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an ophthalmologist might have more use for skills like "patients," "ophthalmology," "surgery," and "patient care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of general ophthalmologists require skills like "cpt," "optical test," "icd-9," and "distance vision. "
In general, general ophthalmologists hold lower degree levels compared to ophthalmologists. General ophthalmologists are 6.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 38.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of ophthalmologist
Updated January 8, 2025
