What is a veterinary ophthalmologist?

A veterinary ophthalmologist is a veterinarian who has then done specialist training for a number of years afterwards. After doing a 5 year veterinary degree at University, a veterinarian trying to be a specialist would usually do an internship for a year, and then a 2-3 year residency training program. At the end of that time the individual is then examined by a group of veterinary ophthalmologists, such as Professors and ophthalmic practitioners, via an exhaustive set of written, practical and oral exams over 3 days. If successful that individual may then be granted specialist status.

Throughout the world there are various veterinary ophthalmology training programs. The best established, and longest running, of these is the training program provided by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO). It is regarded as one of, if not the best training program in the world. The ACVO has been certifying veterinary ophthalmologists since the early 70’s. There are about 220 or so certified veterinary ophthalmologists worldwide with ACVO credentials, four of whom are in Australia. Cameron and Jeff are both ACVO certified.

Australia too has a certifying college, the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. The Ophthalmology Chapter is relatively new, and it is to be hoped that in the future it will continue to build and develop into a world class organization.
 

Who needs a veterinary ophthalmologist?

Many eye problems can be dealt with by a local general practitioner. However, just like in human medicine, the information explosion of the last 2-3 decades has meant that no one individual can know everything about every body system. If your doctor is unsure of the exact nature of a particular eye condition, he/she may then send you to a specialist. Veterinary ophthalmologists only deal with eye problems. They do not deal with anything other than the eyes, in spite of how trivial something may be. If there are other issues that need to be addressed, then you will be referred back to your local veterinarian for treatment.
 

What is involved in an eye examination? 

An eye examination usually involves the use of relatively sophisticated equipment to try to establish a diagnosis of the particular eye condition. This equipment may include a slit lamp, an indirect headset, a focal light source, and various other diagnostic aids.

Usually we can perform an examination without chemical sedation or too much restraint, but occasionally if your pet is anxious or potentially aggressive, we may need to use a muzzle or even sedate your pet. An eye examination will usually take between 10 minutes to 30 minutes. We may need to perform other diagnostic tests as well. Our specialised knowledge and equipment allows a thorough eye exam much more than a general veterinarian can offer. This is after all what we have been trained to do.