Ophthalmologic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Connected to the medical specialty that focuses on eye structure, function, and pathological conditions
2. Pertaining to the medical field that concentrates on diagnosing, treating, and preventing eye-related conditions and diseases
3. Concerned with the branch of medicine that studies the anatomy, diseases, and treatment of the eyes

Etymology: Ophthalmologic is the adjective form of "ophthalmology", the branch of medicine concerned with the eye. Its roots are Greek: "ophthalmos" meant "eye", and the suffix "-logia" meant "study of" or "discourse about", so the word literally describes the study of the eye. Ancient Greek had the noun "ophthalmos" and the physicians who treated eye disease, but the compound "ophthalmology" itself is a modern coinage built from those classical parts, not something the ancients used. The "-ic" ending turns the noun into an adjective meaning "of or relating to" that field, the same pattern found in words like "geologic" or "pathologic". Because the adjective is less common than "ophthalmological", the two forms are both used in medical writing, with "ophthalmologic" tending to appear in phrases such as "ophthalmologic examination".

Synonyms: ophthalmic