ophthalmo

Ophthalmo is a combining form meaning eye, derived from the Greek ophthalmos. It is used in medical terminology to form terms related to the eye. In practice, ophthalmo- and ophthalm- are closely related and often interchangeable, though ophthalm- is more common in core terms such as ophthalmology, ophthalmologist, and ophthalmic. Ophthalmo- tends to appear in terms naming instruments or procedures, such as ophthalmoscope and ophthalmoscopy.

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that studies the eye, its diseases, and its medical and surgical management. An ophthalmologist is a physician who specializes in eye care. The adjective ophthalmic describes anything pertaining to the eye, such as ophthalmic terminology or ophthalmic surgery. The ophthalmoscope is a hand-held instrument used to examine the interior of the eye, and ophthalmoscopy is the examination conducted with that instrument. The prefix is also seen in terms such as the ophthalmic artery, a major vessel supplying the eye.

Origin and usage: The root comes from Greek ophthalmos, meaning eye. English employs both ophthalmo- and ophthalm- as combining forms; ophthalm- tends to dominate in the names of the specialty and conditions, while ophthalmo- appears in instrument names and certain compound terms. Both forms are widely recognized in medical dictionaries and ophthalmology literature, and they function as variants of the same root to denote relationships to the eye.

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