What is really the difference between an optometrist and eye doctor trainig?

Lots of differences: Optometrists have 3-4 years of training after undergraduate years and they are limited to checking your vision, pressures, retina. An ophthalmologist is an eye doctor, who goes to 4 years of medical school after undergraduate years and then does a 2-3 year training after finishing medical school. They can check the eye, do eye surgery and prescribe medicines for the eye.

The training: Ophthalmologists, after medical school and internship, train in medical centers where very ill pateints come for care. In training, ophthalmologists see the trauma, cancer, drug reactions, neurologic disorders, visual loss disorders, plus numerous other ills. The opometrist trains in an optometry program where the typical patient is a well person seeking an eye exam for glasses or contacts.

Medical school: An ophthalmologist first graduates medical then performs an internship for 1 year followed by a 3 year residency in ophthalmology training in the medical and surgical treatment of eye disease. Optometrists attend a 4 year program learning how to perform an eye exam and treat ocular conditions of the eye including refractive and medical disorders. Optometrists don't perform surgery.