What an optometrist does?

When you can get cheap glasses or contact lenses on the net, why do people choose to pay extra to receive professional service from their optometrists?

Optometrists in New Zealand are university educated health professionals, with five years undergraduate training and compulsory continuing education requirements each year. Keeping up with current knowledge of eye health, treatments and visual correction means that your optometrist can give you clear advice to help you see clearly with comfortable, healthy eyes.

The optometric exam involves taking a thorough history of both your eyes and that of your family, then tests to check your vision, health of the front and back of the eyes, how the eyes co-ordinate and any additional tests required depending on the results found. So, a pair of glasses has a lot of thought put into them - not just your choice of colour of the frame, but a shape to fit your face, lenses to suit your eye prescription and lifestyle and advice on their use and care.

Optometrists also give advice on lifetsyle and vision - sunglasses vary in lens materials as well as tints depending on whether they are used in alpine sports, water sports, driving or "general purpose". Some lenses are more inmpact resistant than others, so safer for children or in situations where the lenses could crack and the eyes damaged.

So, optometrists are the "GPs of the eye". And, like with your doctor, you pay for the advice given.