The biggest difference betweent an optometrist and an opthamologist is that an opthamologist is a medical doctor. Opthamologists has gone to medical school and then specialized in opthamology which covers all aspects of eye care including diagnosis, treatment and surgery. An Optometrist has received training in the areas of examining the eyes for diagnosing and treating visual or eye health, prescribing corrective lenses and treating limited eye diseases non-surgically. An optometrist is a Doctor Who works with your eyes and prescribes glasses and/or contacts, and an opthamologist is also someone who works with your eyes, but only for surgeries and corrective eye treatments.