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 894 practicing ophthalmologists. Broken out by city, ophthalmology doctor density in Alton is 28, in Aurora is 11, in Belleville is 14, in Berwyn is 9, in Bloomington is 20, in Blue Island is 5, in Breese is 4, in Calumet City is 10, in Canton is 5, in Carbondale is 9, in Carlinville is 4, in Carlyle is 1, in Carmi is 5, in Centralia is 6, in Champaign is 9, in Charleston is 2, in Chester is 2, in Chicago is 367, in Chicago Heights is 4, in Cicero is 1, in Collinsville is 3, in Crystal Lake is 11, in Danville is 6, in Darien is 3, in Decatur is 7, in Dekalb is 3, in Des Plaines is 25, in Dixon is 2, in Du Quoin is 2, in Effingham is 4, in Eldorado is 2, in Elgin is 13, in Elmhurst is 14, in Evanston is 27, in Fairfield is 1, in Fairview Heights is 1, in Flora is 3, in Freeport is 5, in Galesburg is 4, in Geneseo is 4, in Geneva is 4, in Granite City is 4, in Greenville is 2, in Harrisburg is 6, in Harvey is 12, in Highland Park is 20, in Hillsboro is 3, in Jacksonville is 9, in Jerseyville is 1, in Joliet is 16, in Kankakee is 5, in Kewanee is 2, in Lake Forest is 10, in Lincoln is 3, in Litchfield is 4, in Lockport is 1, in Loves Park is 1, in Macomb is 2, in Marion is 15, in Mattoon is 3, in Mchenry is 4, in Metropolis is 1, in Moline is 4, in Morris is 3, in Mount Vernon is 13, in Naperville is 38, in Nashville is 1, in Normal is 1, in North Chicago is 2, in Oak Forest is 2, in Ottawa is 2, in Palos Heights is 11, in Park Ridge is 11, in Pekin is 8, in Peoria is 33, in Peru is 11, in Pittsfield is 2, in Prospect Heights is 1, in Quincy is 6, in Red Bud is 3, in Rock Island is 15, in Rockford is 26, in Rolling Meadows is 2, in Shelbyville is 1, in Silvis is 12, in Springfield is 20, in Staunton is 2, in Sterling is 3, in Streator is 5, in Sycamore is 9, in Taylorville is 1, in Urbana is 9, in Vandalia is 3, in Vienna is 1, in Warrenville is 2, in Waterloo is 3, in Waukegan is 6, in Wheaton is 24, in Woodstock is 4, and in Yorkville is 1.

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.