optometrist
Americannoun
-
optometrists
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See eye doctor.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of optometrist
First recorded in 1900–05; optometr(y) + -ist
Compare meaning
How does optometrist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An optometrist specializes in testing the eyes and helping correct vision with glasses or contact lenses. If you can’t read anything below the giant E on the doctor's wall chart, don’t worry: an optometrist can help improve how you see. Words starting with "opto-" are related to vision, and an optometrist is trained in finding problems with the eyes and recommending treatment or correction. "Optometry" is the science of studying the eyes or vision, and an optometrist is specialized in this study. Two words that are sometimes confused are optometrist and "optician." While an optometrist is someone who examines and treats the eyes, an "optician" works with the optometrist to make the corrective glasses or contact lenses a patient needs.
Vocabulary lists containing optometrist
Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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Occupations
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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:
An optometrist and physician by training, Wertheim founded Miami-based Brain Power, a company that develops technology for the eyewear industry, and has made a reputation as a successful stock picker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
An optometrist turned billionaire philanthropist with an eye for bold design paid a record-setting $40 million for a bespoke Ferrari Luce at auction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Sarah Farrant, an optometrist from Taunton, warned that viewing the eclipse without protection could damage the retina and macular at the back of the eye.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
"These community camps are extremely important for villagers, because they have no access to eye care," said optometrist Gopinath Das.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
He takes off his thick-rimmed glasses, fitted by a Calcutta optometrist, polishes the lenses with the cotton handkerchief he always keeps in his pocket, A for Ashoke embroidered by his mother in light blue thread.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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
The unionized workers include nurse case managers, mental health counselors, optometrists, pharmacists, physical therapists, clinical researchers, IT analysts and animal health technicians.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025
"Our optometrists can estimate before they fly by what degree their prescription will change."
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
During the tasks, participants had their pupils continuously measured using an eye-tracker, similar to what optometrists use during eye exams.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024
It was supposed to carry Billy and twenty-eight other optometrists to a convention in Montreal.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
