ophthalmologist
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See eye doctor.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ophthalmologist
First recorded in 1825–35; ophthalmo- + -log(y) + -ist
Explanation
If you can't see the board from your desk, it might be time to visit an ophthalmologist, or eye doctor, to see if you need glasses. An ophthalmologist is a doctor whose specialty is diseases and conditions of the eyes, especially things that relate to vision. She's the doctor who examines your eyes and writes the prescription for your contact lenses. The Greek root word is ophthalmos, which means "eye." Ophthalmologist is a tricky word to spell, particularly because many people tend to skip both the "ph" and the first "l" when they pronounce it.
Vocabulary lists containing ophthalmologist
Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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Occupations
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The ophthalmologist did it very cruelly and quickly,” she recalled in an interview with the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, where she long served on the board and was chairwoman at the time of her death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Specialist medical treatment - an ophthalmologist, dermatologist, podiatrist and orthopaedist - is available, as are nutritionists and hydrationists, while chefs rustle up home comforts from every corner of the globe.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
"The eventual goal is that it would be readily available at your local ophthalmologist."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025
But we also pay out of pocket for periodic visits with specialists like our ophthalmologist and dentist, with whom we’ve developed relationships over the years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
Yesterday all anyone here could talk about was Anne’s eyes, because Mother had suggested I go to the ophthalmologist with Mrs. Kleiman.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Rather than selling machines to optometrists, who were making a fortune selling glasses, the maker sold machines to a new wave of ophthalmologists to perform surgeries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
In 2019, Pham spoke to about 200 ophthalmologists at a convention, detailing his journey, which while battling keratoconus included 2,338 minor league at-bats from 2008-2014 before he made his big league debut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
The new study uncovers possibilities for preventative medicine and crosstalk between ophthalmologists and other areas of medicine.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024
Many ophthalmologists say Lasik is the safest procedure done on the eye and that serious, long-lasting complications are rare.
From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2022
In the late 1990s, Medicare slashed reimbursement levels to around $450 per procedure, and the incomes of the surgically minded ophthalmologists fell.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
