General Ophthalmology vs Subspecialty

Hi,

Sorry if there is another post about this, but I was wondering if someone could give me a general idea about what a general ophthalmologist is certified to do as opposed to subspecialists in specific fields (cornea, pediatrics, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics, etc.). I know this is kind of broad, but I was just wondering what kind of doors fellowships open.

Thanks!

EyeFun said:

Hi,

Sorry if there is another post about this, but I was wondering if someone could give me a general idea about what a general ophthalmologist is certified to do as opposed to subspecialists in specific fields (cornea, pediatrics, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics, etc.). I know this is kind of broad, but I was just wondering what kind of doors fellowships open.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

General ophthalmologists are supposedly trained to perform all procedures relevant to the practice of ophthalmology. In practice, most confine their surgical practice to cataract surgery, refractive, simple oculoplastics, straightforward strabismus, retina laser, and trabeculectomy for glaucoma. Complicated retina is primarily the domain of subspecialists, as is deep orbit and complicated oculofacial surgery, cyclovertical and vertical strabismus correction and complicated glaucoma procedures including seton surgeries. Lamellar corneal grafting, limbal grafting and other specialized corneal surgeries are usually referred to cornea subspecialists. That has been the way things have gone for a long time.

Even simple pediatric strabismus commonly gets referred since the office and lane setup for a peds ophtho practice is fairly specific and does not typically combine well with office requirements for adult patient practices.