Eye care directory
The right eye doctor for your visit
Start with what the visit is for. Compare provider type, condition experience, and source-labeled vision-plan participation when available.
- Routine eye examYou'll see: Optometrist (OD)
- Contacts or new glassesYou'll see: Optometrist or optician
- A symptom or conditionYou'll see: Start with an OD; referred to an MD if needed
- LASIK or cataract surgeryYou'll see: Ophthalmologist (MD/DO)
Vision plans listed in published profiles
- VSP
- EyeMed
- Davis Vision
- Spectera / UnitedHealthcare Vision
- Medicare
- Medicaid
Optometrist, ophthalmologist, or optician?
For a routine exam or new lenses, book an optometrist. For eye surgery or serious disease, you need an ophthalmologist — a medical doctor. Opticians fit and sell eyewear from your prescription.
Optometrist (OD)
Your primary eye doctor: exams, prescriptions, contact fittings, and managing conditions like dry eye and glaucoma.
Ophthalmologist (MD/DO)
A medical doctor for eye surgery and complex disease — cataracts, retina, and advanced glaucoma.
Optician
Fits and dispenses your glasses and contacts from a prescription. Not a doctor, and that's fine — that's the point.
Start from a condition
Each pathway tells you which kind of provider to book first — so you don't pay for the wrong appointment.
Dry Eye
Start with an optometristGlaucoma
Optometrist manages; MD for surgeryCataracts
Ophthalmologist operatesMacular Degeneration
Retina ophthalmologistDiabetic Retinopathy
Annual OD exam; MD if advancingKeratoconus
Specialty-contact optometristMyopia Management (children)
Pediatric-focused optometrist