this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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Showerthoughts
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That's because it's shorter, eye doctor is slightly shorter and easier to say and spell than opthamologist
counterpoint: paediatrician.
I think the 'easier to say' part is the key thing here. "Pee-dee-atrition" is a lot easier for most English speakers that "op-tha-mologist". I think the "th" throws people off enough to just say "eye doc"
It's even harder to spell than it is to say "ophthalmologist" What are the extra h and l doing there? I don't know. Most people forget them. Another English word not really pronounced like it's spelled. Trips me up every time I try to type it out. Optometrist, the non-MD eye doctor, much easier to say and spell.
I don't quite see it, but I'm used to saying opthamologist because of Tim Minchin and I'm not a native speaker. But seems plausible.
Well you could just shorten it and call them a paedo.
I'd argue it's magnitudes easier to say.
In the UK we see the optician. E z.
In the US at least, an optician is specifically a vendor of eyeglasses. The person who measures your vision and gives you the prescription is usually an optometrist. Neither of the above are physicians; whereas an ophthalmologist is a physician who treats eye diseases.