Lots of MD BS on here

[IndianaOD]

Wow,

I don't venture over here often, but there is a lot of one sided rhetoric. That is fine if its truthful, but some of this stuff is just incorrect.

In sticky OD vs OMD breakdown is says ODs have 3 maybe 4 years of undergrad? Umm yeah almost all have 4 years and there are a lot of science pre-reqs. I like how it says MDs have 4 years of undergrad. I do believe there are even some 6 year combined programs giving some MDs only 3 or even 2 years of undergrad. So basically the same there. Nice propaganda though.

Also as another reality check on here we should exam how much eye specific education an OD and an OMD have.

While I can respect 4 years of medical school for learning how to do H&Ps and other things, medical school gives you basically ZERO eye training.

An ophthalmologist learns almost all of their eye care training after the transitional year. This is usually 3 years for the generalist. While an OD learns a lot of systemic anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, etc their 4 years are concentrated on diagnosing and treating eye and vision conditions. Many younger ODs like myself have a 5th year post doc residency.

So of course if you need eye surgery like cataract or vitrectomy you go to an ophthalmologist. If you need medical management for glaucoma, monitoring diabetic retinopathy, amblyopia, red eyes, foreign body etc an OD is more than qualified. Don't also forget during this 3 years, the ophthalmologist spends a lot of this time learning surgery and not on primary eye care.

I expect the residents and MDs to beat their chest on this forum. Just keep the facts straght please.

I'm sure an OMD will close this thread because they don't like the truth. That's okay if they can't admit it.

Lastly I wanted to add that many MDs refer patients to me for diabetes and other medial problems.

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[Dwight Schrute]

Although there's a fair amount of one sided rhetoric here, I don't feel it's an accurate representation of the way things are in the real world. Some of the best eye care practices out there utilize both ophthalmologists and optometrist, many of which have several subspecialties within. The smart ODs and OMDs recognize this and don't really care what they're referred to as; eye doctors, eye surgeons, eye physicians, optometric physicians, whatever...who cares, because you wanna know what they really call themselves? Rich guys.

 

[guttata]

>Wow,

I'll be the first to bite. But, I am sure this will end badly.

[I don't venture over here often, but there is a lot of one sided rhetoric. That is fine if its truthful, but some of this stuff is just incorrect.

In sticky OD vs OMD breakdown is says ODs have 3 maybe 4 years of undergrad? Umm yeah almost all have 4 years and there are a lot of science pre-reqs. I like how it says MDs have 4 years of undergrad. I do >believe there are even some 6 year combined programs giving some MDs only 3 or even 2 years of undergrad. So basically the same there. Nice >propaganda though.]

No comment here. I agree with you.

[Also as another reality check on here we should exam how much eye >specific education an OD and an OMD have.

While I can respect 4 years of medical school for learning how to do H&Ps >and other things, medical school gives you basically ZERO eye training.]

Have you applied to an ophthalmology residency? I agree that in general, there is very little eye specific training in most medical school curriculums. However, medical students applying for the specialty take severals rotations in ophthalmology. Depending on the student, this ranges from 3-6 months. Additionally, electives are taking in other related, but relevant, specialities such as ENT, neuroradiology, rheumatology, plastics, etc. They bust their butts during these rotations to impress attendings. So, your statement that medical school gives you zero eye training is false.

[An ophthalmologist learns almost all of their eye care training after the transitional year. This is usually 3 years for the generalist. While an OD learns a lot of systemic anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, etc their 4 years are concentrated on diagnosing and treating eye and vision conditions. Many younger ODs like myself have a 5th year post doc residency.]

Most ophthalmologists will take additional rotations in their field of choice in their transitional year. But, wait a minute. You want to count four OD years in your training even though some courses are not eye specific (you mentioned systemic anatomy, physiology), but not count some of those medical school basic science courses into our measly three? That hardly sounds fair.

[So of course if you need eye surgery like cataract or vitrectomy you go to an ophthalmologist. If you need medical management for glaucoma, monitoring diabetic retinopathy, amblyopia, red eyes, foreign body etc an OD is more than qualified. Don't also forget during this 3 years, the ophthalmologist spends a lot of this time learning surgery and not on primary eye care.]

A general ophthalmologist is not an optometrist and vice-versa. You are trying to blur the difference when it is significant. From my experience, optometrists are masters of refraction, optics, contact lenses - this experience is sorely lacking in ophthalmology residency. But, I would wager that there is greater pathology/volume seen by an ophtho. resident than by an optometric student. Most ophthalmology residencies are affiliated with major teaching universities. The worst of the worst are referred to these institutitions. To presume that these patients would be referred to a optometry school is misguided. We spend time learning both surgical and primary eye care skills.

You like to treat one year of ophtho residency as equivalent as one year of OD school. It is not the same. There is more to it - how about the number of patients seen? number of times being on call? types of patients seen? number of hours worked per week? etc. etc.

Honestly, I am not sure why you are always trying to compare your 5 years to the 3 (gasp) years of OMD training. It is not the same training. And, the difference starts in medical school.

Also, just because you may have trained some OMD during residency, do not presume to know everything about our training elsewhere.

 

[Eyefixer]

MDs are not the only ones that beat their chests. Just look at your last 100 posts .

You KNOW you won't chage any minds on this forum, so please try the Optometry forum, maybe?

What's an OMD? Ophthalmologist MD? Did you coin this yourself?

And finally:

Wow,

I don't venture over here often, but there is a lot of one sided rhetoric. That is fine if its truthful, but some of this stuff is just incorrect.

In sticky OD vs OMD breakdown is says ODs have 3 maybe 4 years of undergrad? Umm yeah almost all have 4 years and there are a lot of science pre-reqs. I like how it says MDs have 4 years of undergrad. I do believe there are even some 6 year combined programs giving some MDs only 3 or even 2 years of undergrad. So basically the same there. Nice propaganda though.

Also as another reality check on here we should exam how much eye specific education an OD and an OMD have.

While I can respect 4 years of medical school for learning how to do H&Ps and other things, medical school gives you basically ZERO eye training.

An ophthalmologist learns almost all of their eye care training after the transitional year. This is usually 3 years for the generalist. While an OD learns a lot of systemic anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, etc their 4 years are concentrated on diagnosing and treating eye and vision conditions. Many younger ODs like myself have a 5th year post doc residency.

So of course if you need eye surgery like cataract or vitrectomy you go to an ophthalmologist. If you need medical management for glaucoma, monitoring diabetic retinopathy, amblyopia, red eyes, foreign body etc an OD is more than qualified. Don't also forget during this 3 years, the ophthalmologist spends a lot of this time learning surgery and not on primary eye care.

I expect the residents and MDs to beat their chest on this forum. Just keep the facts straght please.

I'm sure an OMD will close this thread because they don't like the truth. That's okay if they can't admit it.

Lastly I wanted to add that many MDs refer patients to me for diabetes and other medial problems.

 

[discontinuebed]

Admins, lock. This will degenerate quickly.

To the instigators, I refer you to House, MD.

"If you wanted to be a doctor, maybe you should have buckled down a little more in high school."

 

[IndianaOD]

Admins, lock. This will degenerate quickly.

To the instigators, I refer you to House, MD.

"If you wanted to be a doctor, maybe you should have buckled down a little more in high school."

Get a life. You want to compare IQs or undergrad GPA? This is the ridiculous crap I'm talking about.

When the ophthalmology moderators un-sticky the anti optometry posts I'll leave well enough alone. If this wasn't a public forum I wouldn't bother either. I just can't let unchecked propaganda fly.

Wait until medicare drops the bottom out of cataract surgery with the dems in charge.

If its all about patient encounters I've seen several thousand over the last year alone.

 

[macro0rchidism]

Get a life.

Seriously? I think you're the one that needs to "get a life"

 

[DrMom]

It is a violation of the Terms of Service of this site to post in a forum solely to deride the members of that forum. Construction discussion topics crossing professional lines are great, but just as we discourage physicians going into the OD forum to poke at optometry, we also discourage the reverse.

closing.