Should i see an ophthalmologist or an optometrist for eye pain?

Either, but...: An ophthalmologist is an md and almost always sees more patients with painful eye conditions. A competent optometrist may be able to diagnose and treat you, but there is some likelihood you could be referred to an ophthalmologist anyway.

Here's the dif: An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (md) who graduated from medical school and did at least 4 additional years of training after that and treats medical and surgical diseases of the eye. An optometrist is not a medical doctor although in some states their license allows them to do a lot of medical treatment.