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LIST OF SERVICES & PROCEDURES
What is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist?
Ophthalmologists are physicians concerned with the comprehensive care of
the eyes and vision. They are the only practitioners medically trained to
diagnose and treat all eye and visual problems including vision services
(glasses and contact lenses), and medical disorders of the eye including
surgical procedures for treatment. In the United States, in order to obtain
the M.D. degree, one must have completed four years of college and four
years of medical school.
Certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology is the last step in a
long and intensive educational experience designed to assure quality eye
care for the American people. The minimum period of training before an
Ophthalmologist can apply to sit the examinations is twelve years from high
school graduation. The examination process itself takes a minimum of 1-1/2
years, during which time the candidate is usually in clinical practice or
in a fellowship program acquiring advanced training in one of the
sub-specialties of Ophthalmology.
The Board requires a year of internship following medical school in a
hospital program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education(ACGME) as a pre-requisite for board certification. This
year is intended to cement the values and knowledge acquired in medical
school. It must include a substantial experience in general medical care.
The next 3-4 years are spent in a training program as a resident in
Ophthalmology. In order to sit for the Board examinations, the candidate
must attend and graduate from one of 123 residency programs in the United
States accredited by the ACGME, or in Canada, accredited by the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Each program in the United States is periodically reviewed according to a
set of rigorous educational standards by the Residency Review Committee of
the ACGME. During training, the resident undergoes an intensive period of
education that includes the relevant basic sciences, the causes, clinical
features, diagnosis, treatment and the pathology of eye disease, clinical
eye examination skills and eye surgery. Each year residents participate in
a nationwide in-training examination known as the Ophthalmic Knowledge
Assessment Program (OKAP), administered by the testing agency ACT on behalf
of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This examination covers the whole
field of ophthalmic knowledge, and is designed to assist
residents-in-training and teaching faculties in evaluating the progress of
each resident. There is no passing score and the examination has no bearing
on board certification. The goal of the residency programs is to equip
their graduates with the skills necessary to deliver high quality medical
and surgical eye care as a comprehensive Ophthalmologist. Upon satisfactory
completion of training, the Ophthalmologist may apply to sit for the
examinations of the Board.
Certification is a voluntary process. It is granted to those
Ophthalmologists who have successfully completed an accredited course of
education in ophthalmology and an evaluation including an examination.
The examination itself is in two parts. The first part is a written
multiple-choice examination administered over half a day. It is designed to
assess the cognitive skills of the candidate in the field of Ophthalmology.
Candidates who are successful in the written examination progress to the
second part, comprised of six timed oral examinations over a three-hour
period.
The purpose of this examination is to test clinical problem solving and
management skills. In the past, candidates who passed the oral examination
were granted a lifetime certificate. Beginning in 1992, the Board has
issued only 10 year time-limited certificates. In order to renew Board
Certification, holders of time-limited certificates must pass a
recertification examination administered by the Board every ten years.
For more information on the services and procedures we provide, please select from the list
below.
Cataract Care
Computers and Eye Strain
Contact Lens
Corneal Transplants
Diabetic Eye Disease
Eyeglasses
Floaters & Flashers
General Eye Exams
Glaucoma Treatment & Surgery
Laser for Vision Correction
Learning Disabilities & Vision
Low Vision Rehabilitation
Macular Degeneration
Myopia
No Stitch Cataract Surgery
Pediatric Eye Care
PRK/ALK/LASIK
Ptosis
Retina & Vitreous Surgery
Strabismus
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