Ophthalmology involves the treatment of the eye and vision disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who diagnoses and treats eye disorders and diseases, and sometimes performs eye surgery. Ophthalmology is more than just vision care. This specialist is trained to medically or surgically treat all ocular and vision problems, including disorders of the eyelids and visual pathways. The ophthalmologist also provides comprehensive vision exams and prescribes glasses and contact lenses.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Illinois has 986 practicing ophthalmologists. Broken out by city, ophthalmology doctor density in Barrington is 17, in Beardstown is 1, in Belleville is 16, in Benton is 5, in Berwyn is 9, in Berwyn Heights is 1, in Bethalto is 1, in Bloomingdale is 3, in Bloomington is 23, in Blue Island is 5, in Bolingbrook is 2, in Bolton is 1, in Bourbonnais is 7, in Breese is 5, in Brighton is 1, and in Buffalo Grove is 7.

Most people think that Chicago, because of its size and popularity, is Illinois’ capital city, but that distinction belongs to Springfield, home of the Abraham Lincoln Museum. Illinois has hundreds of museums, numerous yearly art and ethnic festivals, a lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan, and the many national forests and parks that offers visitors camping, horseback riding, biking, kayaking, and fishing. Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other cultural opportunities and restaurants in the Navy Pier area.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Illinois has a population of 12,763,371. Of this population, 3,172,677 are under the age of 18 and 1,523,937 are at or above the age of 65.