The National Eye Institute does not provide referrals or recommend
specific eye care professionals. However, you may wish to consider the
following ways of finding a professional to provide your eye care.
You can:
- Ask family members and friends about eye care professionals they use.
- Ask your family doctor for the name of a local eye care specialist.
- Call the department of ophthalmology or optometry at a nearby hospital or university medical center.
- Contact a state or county association of ophthalmologists or
optometrists. These groups, usually called academies or societies, may
have lists of eye care professionals with specific information on
specialty and experience.
- Contact your insurance company or health plan to learn whether it
has a list of eye care professionals that are covered under your plan.
At a bookstore or library, check on available journals and books
about choosing a physician and medical treatment. A library reference
specialist can help you identify books on finding health care
professionals. Here are some examples:
- Most large libraries have the reference set The ABMS Compendium of Certified Medical Professionals, which lists board-certified ophthalmologists, each with a small amount of biographical information.
- Each year usually in August the magazine U.S. News and World Report features an article that rates hospitals in the United States.
- The Consumer's Guide to Top Doctors provides a state-by-state listing of medical specialists most frequently mentioned in a survey of doctors.
For More Information
- The American Academy of Ophthalmology coordinates Find an Eye MD
an on-line listing of member ophthalmologists practicing in the United
States and abroad. This service is designed to help the general public
locate ophthalmologists within a specific region. This service is
available via website: http://www.aao.org/eyemd_disclaimer.cfm.
- The American Optometric Association offers Dr.
Locator, an online listing of member optometrists. This service is
designed to help the general public locate optometrists within a
specific region. This service is available via website: http://www.aoa.org.
- The International Society of Refractive Surgery
maintains comprehensive directory of surgeons around the world who are
currently performing refractive surgery. Telephone: (415) 561-8581.
Website: http://www.locateanisrsdoctor.com/.
- Administrators in Medicine and the Association of State Medical Board Executive Directors
have launched DocFinder, an online database that helps consumers learn
whether any malpractice actions have been taken against a particular
doctor. The site provides links to the licensing boards in the
participating states. This service is available via website: http://www.docboard.org/.
- The American Medical Association's Physician Select
provides basic professional information on virtually every licensed
physician in the United States and its territories. You can limit your
search to include only ophthalmologists. This service is available via
website: http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm.
- WebMD Physician Directory allows the public to
search a national database of over 500,000 physicians for the purpose of
finding a doctor who meets specific needs. Website: http://doctor.webmd.com/physician_finder/home.aspx?sponsor=core.
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