Ophthalmology

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɒfθə(l)ˈmɒləd͡ʒi/

Definitions

1. The medical specialty concerned with diagnosing and treating diseases and disorders of the eye and visual system
2. The branch of medicine focused on the study, diagnosis, and treatment of eye conditions and vision problems
3. A field of healthcare that involves examining and managing disorders affecting the eyes and visual apparatus

Etymology: Ophthalmology is a modern coinage built from two Greek words that were already old when they were combined. The first part, "ophthalmo-", comes from Ancient Greek "ophthalmós", meaning "eye," which is related to the Greek "ops" (face, eye) and the older "thálamos" (inner chamber), from which the word's sense of the eye as a sort of inner room may derive. The second part, "-logy," comes from Greek "lógos," meaning "word," "reason," or "study," which English took through Latin "-logia" and French "-logie." Because the combined term is a scientific formation, its ancient Greeks never used it. It was assembled in modern times from classical building blocks, following the same pattern as words like "biology" and "geology," which were likewise made by pairing a Greek root with "-logy."

Synonyms: eye medicine, ocular science