<p>These are really different jobs. I think that is what Sedrish was getting at. </p>
<p>You need to decide whether you want to practice medicine. If so, then you have to be an ophthalmologist, optometrists cannot do this. Although both deal with eyes, ophthalmologists treat a wide variety of problems that require medical knowledge and surgical skill. Although there are those who do purely outpatient work, many also cover emergency departments and hospitals, and treat cancer, serious infections, severe trauma, and other conditions that threaten vision and life. This is medical practice, and it has all the challenges of that field.</p>
<p>Few ophthalmologists are interested in prescribing glasses and contact lenses or
fitting, adjusting and dispensing eyeglasses. The former are larger parts of practice for optometrists, but they also frequently have opticians fit and dispense.</p>