A brief intro to Eye Surgeons
Who is an eye surgeon?
Eye surgeons (ماہرامراض چشم) are specialist doctors who cater to the ailments of the eyes. They are able to treat a wide range of conditions and are qualified to perform surgeries.
They are often associated with vision care. Eye surgeons (آئی سرجن) also help patients with the fitting of vision correction paraphernalia such as lenses or glasses. Surgeries for vision correction are also their domain.
When should you see an Eye surgeon?
A visit to the eye surgeon is due when you experience any problems with your eyesight, such as the blurring of images, seeing double, not recognizing colors properly and even complete loss of vision, as is the case with wet macular degeneration.
Moreover, an injury to the eye is a cause for concern and should be addressed by an eye doctor. Similarly, some diseases also negatively impact eyes, like hypertension and diabetes. These patients then also need guidance from an eye specialist for treatment.
People in need of an eye surgery should visit an ophthalmologist. Some eye conditions that require surgical intervention include:
- Cataract (موتیا)
- Strabismus
- Cancer
- Glaucoma
- Damage due to trauma to the eye
Some people also want to have their vision fixed and thus eye surgeons use techniques like LASIK and Femto LASIK to operate on the lens so that sighted problems can be resolved.
Older people are more vulnerable to vision problems like AMD, glaucoma (گلوکوما ), cataracts. Progressive diseases like these can result in permanent loss of vision, and timely surgical intervention can greatly improve a patient's vision.
Many people confuse ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians. Only ophthalmologists or eye surgeons are qualified doctors that treat problems ailing the eye, through medicine and surgery.
Optometrists are healthcare individuals trained in vision problems like refractive errors. They can also perform eye exams and treat only certain diseases.
Opticians are technicians who aid people with vision correction problems like fitting of the eyeglasses, or lenses etc. They cannot diagnose or treat eye problems.
It is important to ascertain the type of problem you are experiencing so you schedule a visit with the appropriate expert.
What are an Eye surgeon’s main areas of concern?
An eye surgeon (آنکھوں کا ماہر) offers medical and surgical care for issues plaguing eyes and its associated structures like optic nerve. They also offer treatment for problems with eyesight.
What are the most common eye diseases in Pakistan?
The top 5 eye problems that accounted for visits to the emergency room include the following:
| Problem |
Percentage of Patients |
| Eye Injury |
39.7% |
| Redeye |
36.7% |
| Painful Eye |
21.9% |
| Swollen Eye |
20.4% |
| Reduced Vision |
4.1% |
How to become an eye surgeon in Karachi?
In order to qualify as an eye surgeon (ماہرامراض چشم), the person first has to complete their MBBS and house job. They then have to give the part I exam conducted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. Once that is passed, the doctors then have to complete their training program alongside the subsequent exams.
Once both are complete, CPSP accredits the person with respective qualification, thereby making them a certified eye surgeon.
What kinds of Eye surgeons are there?
There are many sub-specialties that exist within the broader field of ophthalmology. These are:
- Cornea Specialist: As the name suggests, the specialists exclusively cater to the problems pertaining to cornea like Fuchs’ dystrophy, keratoconus, injury of cornea. Many also perform surgeries including cornea transplant, refractive surgeries like LASIK.
- Retina Specialist: Responsible for the receiving light and sending visual signals to the brain, retina plays a crucial role in vision, and therefore any problems with it result in compromised vision. Common conditions ailing include retinopathy, macular degeneration etc. These are dealt with retina specialists.
- Glaucoma Specialist: Glaucoma is a complex disease in which nerve damage due to pressure from eye fluid occurs. Experts of this disease utilize different skills and knowledge base for its treatment.
- Neuro-Ophthalmologist: The nervous system plays just as important a role in the vision. Similarly, muscles of the eye also are involved in vision formation. Neuro-ophthalmologists are experts who deal with the overlap of these 3 domains. Common problems treated by them include seeing double, eyelid abnormalities, uneven pupil size etc.
- Pediatric Specialist: Pediatric specialists focus exclusively on the problems ailing children. These include lazy eye, refractive errors or deformities of the eyelids, amongst others.
- Oculoplastic Surgeons: Experts of this field cater to the problems with eyelids including any injuries or abnormalities. They also cater to any drainage problems in the eye. These also perform aesthetic procedures to improve the appearance of eyes and the peripheral area.
- Refractive surgeon: These experts fix the refractive errors like hyperopia, myopia, astigmatism etc. by surgical intervention. Common examples include LASIK, Femto LASIK etc.
What are Eye surgeons called in Pakistan?
Eye surgeons are also referred to as:
- Eye Doctor
- Ophthalmologist
- Eye specialist
- Mahir-e-Imraz-e-chasham
- آنکھ کے سپیشلسٹ ڈاکٹر
- ماہرامراض چشم
- آنکھوں کا ماہر
- آئی سرجن
