Optometrists Optician   Optometrists are Doctors of Optometry, or O.D. The O.D. degree requires four years of college, plus a full four-year doctorate program. An Optometrist will examine your eyes and related structures for health and vision disorders and treat vision problems with eyeglasses, contact lenses and if needed, with exercises. Doctors of Optometry can diagnose and treat eye diseases as regulated by state boards. Ophthalmologists have an M.D. degree and post-graduate training in the diagnosis, treatment and surgery of diseases of the eye. Opticians have been trained in the skills necessary to fabricate and fit eyeglasses to the optical powers as prescribed by an O.D. or M.D. The optician is the person who operates an optical center which dispenses eyeglasses and other accessories.