What does "ophthalmologist" mean?

A medical doctor specializing in the eye: deficiencies of vision requiring correction, and diseases. Compare optometrist.

How do you pronounce "ophthalmologist"?

Pronounced //ˌɒf.θælˈmɒ.lə.d͡ʒɪst//.

Common synonyms include: eye doctor, oculist, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, chiropodist, dermatologist.

//ˌɒf.θælˈmɒ.lə.d͡ʒɪst// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A medical doctor specializing in the eye: deficiencies of vision requiring correction, and diseases. Compare optometrist.
2
a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye wordnet

"There are two doctors in his circle of friends, a surgeon and an ophthalmologist."

From ophthalmology + -ist.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.