You might not know what you are seeing when you read a word like “ophthalmological,” but this odd-looking bunch of letters actually has a lot to do with your eyes. Specifically, ophthalmology is a branch of medicine that specializes in eyes; how they work, what they do, and also the diseases that affect them.
Sometimes we may take for granted how well our eyes work, but there are a variety of things that can go wrong with them, such as detached retinas, cataracts, or even macular degeneration. A lot of eye problems develop gradually, especially as we age. However, some can be brought on by a hit to the eye, for instance from a Nerf gun or even just from mowing your grass without safety goggles!
Ophthalmological surgery also includes corrective and preventive surgeries, like laser eye surgery to improve eyesight or correct astigmatism. Ophthalmological surgery also includes things like corneal transplants and fashioning prosthetic eyes.
For a truly unique application of ophthalmological advances, check out this video with Rob Spence. Rob unfortunately lost his eye in a shotgun accident and had it replaced with a wireless video camera. You can also read his blog.
Although there are significant and miraculous advances being made in the realm of ophthalmology (if you still think “ophthalmology” is hard to read, try closing your eyes and spelling it!) there is still no replacement for your own eyes. So it’s best to take care of the ones you’ve got!
In addition to being good friends with your doctor, you may want to make your way to the hospital if you have started to see spots in your vision, or if you aren’t seeing things the way you used to, especially if you recently experienced any trauma to your eyes. You may even just want to get a simple eye exam, and see if glasses might be the only ophthalmological help you need. If your eyes are in need of some TLC, we can help you find one of our ophthalmologists at Brigham City Community Hospital.