Eye bill clears Senate - Daily Mail - Charleston

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Eye bill clears Senate
[SIZE=-1]Daily Mail - Charleston[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Bowman argued that requiring optometrists to be educated and certified by the Board of Optometry before performing any surgeries, and then to work in ...[/SIZE]
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[Steven Nelson]

And so it begins. It's a great bill, but you have to be board certified by the ABO? Interesting.

 

[Scott Caughell]

And so it begins. It's a great bill, but you have to be board certified by the ABO? Interesting.

I think they mean their state board?

Doing it within 40 miles of an OMD is ridiculous.

 

[Steven Nelson]

I think they mean their state board?

Doing it within 40 miles of an OMD is ridiculous.

I agree on that part

 

[Aaron Buthod]

Where do these bills come from? Where are the thousands of O.D.s clamoring to the right to perform YAGs?

Of all the important issues, our money is spent on trying to pass YAG bills?

Is this one of those "get a foot in the door" kind of bills?

 

[Rebecca St.Jean OD]

The main goal of this bill is to hand over oversight to the board of optometry on determining scope of practice. The OMDs have picked up on the laser part of the bill and used scare tactics in the public to try to defeat it. That is why that is the only part of the bill mentioned.

 

[Ross Cusic]

I read the article.

This was posted by another reader in the comment section: (copied and pasted):

Comments:

I do not want a optometrist doing any laser or any thing else to my eyes. When I was younger I had a black dot in my eye which did not move, I was told in was a floater. In two weeks my retina detached. If I had known at that them the different between the two, I would have better vision, for the ophtalmogist would have sealed it with the laser. Ophtalmologist look into the eye. The other is for glasses alone. Don't take chances with your eyes.

 

[Timothy H. Needle]

Of all the important issues, our money is spent on trying to pass YAG bills?

It drives me crazy when optometry attempts to expand (or defend) their scope of practice with procedures that optometrists are not qualified to do.

Pushing for procedures that we are not qualified or trained to do only makes optometry appear greedy and further deepens divides between optometry and ophthalmology.

 

[J Martin]

It drives me crazy when optometry attempts to expand (or defend) their scope of practice with procedures that optometrists are not qualified to do.

Pushing for procedures that we are not qualified or trained to do only makes optometry appear greedy and further deepens divides between optometry and ophthalmology.

Do you believe Optometrists can not be qualified or trained to do laser procedures?

Do you believe any amount of capitulation will heal the divide between optometry and ophthalmology?

 

[Scott Caughell]

Do you believe Optometrists can not be qualified or trained to do laser procedures?

Do you believe any amount of capitulation will heal the divide between optometry and ophthalmology?

Lasers are easily within the realm of optometry. Yes a course is required but ODs already possess 90% of the skills required to perform the procedures.

Tim, have you ever spent time with an OMD doing the procedures? Definitely not brain surgery.

 

[Aaron Buthod]

True, the procedure looks like cake. But how difficult is refraction? And opticians are clamoring for refraction rights. A line has to be drawn somewhere. If you want to refract, go to optometry school. If you want to laser, go to med school....or Oklahoma.

Lasers are easily within the realm of optometry. Yes a course is required but ODs already possess 90% of the skills required to perform the procedures.

Tim, have you ever spent time with an OMD doing the procedures? Definitely not brain surgery.

 

[Timothy H. Needle]

Do you believe Optometrists can not be qualified or trained to do laser procedures?

I believe a third grader can be trained to do laser procedures. As for surgical qualifications, there's no need to change the laws. Any OD can become qualified by going to med. school and doing a surgical residency to perform any surgical procedure they wish.

Tim, have you ever spent time with an OMD doing the procedures? Definitely not brain surgery.

I work with 2 OMDs and agree that most of these laser procedures are not difficult. Regardless, just because something is easy doesn't mean we should or need to be doing it. What's next, cataract surgery and vitrectomies? They can't be that hard.

Like Aaron said, their has to be a line drawn between what defines an optician/optometrist/ophthalmologist. Did you enter optometry school to become a surgeon?

 

[Kent Juffer]

I believe a third grader can be trained to do laser procedures. As for surgical qualifications, there's no need to change the laws. Any OD can become qualified by going to med. school and doing a surgical residency to perform any surgical procedure they wish.



I work with 2 OMDs and agree that most of these laser procedures are not difficult. Regardless, just because something is easy doesn't mean we should or need to be doing it. What's next, cataract surgery and vitrectomies? They can't be that hard.

Like Aaron said, their has to be a line drawn between what defines an optician/optometrist/ophthalmologist. Did you enter optometry school to become a surgeon?

Substitute ophthalmologist for surgeon and that same little tired argument was used by some in optometry arguing against expansion into TPAs/DPAs. Everything evolves.

 

[Scott Caughell]

I believe a third grader can be trained to do laser procedures. As for surgical qualifications, there's no need to change the laws. Any OD can become qualified by going to med. school and doing a surgical residency to perform any surgical procedure they wish.



I work with 2 OMDs and agree that most of these laser procedures are not difficult. Regardless, just because something is easy doesn't mean we should or need to be doing it. What's next, cataract surgery and vitrectomies? They can't be that hard.

Like Aaron said, their has to be a line drawn between what defines an optician/optometrist/ophthalmologist. Did you enter optometry school to become a surgeon?

I've long held that med school is a completely inefficient route to ophthalmology. Ophthalmology should be a residency after OD school.

You believe that a decision as a 20 so year old should dictate entirely what you do in eye care?

ODs should have the ability to advance their care and training IF THEY WANT TO without a bunch of redundant and irrelevant training (med school). A nurse can basically become a PCP through extra training, a dentist can become a facial surgeon with extra training....both without starting over from scratch in a professional program.

Our inability to expand our level of patient care is not because we can't or shouldn't do it, its because we would compete for $$$ with MDs. "Surgery by surgeons only", only holds true if your specialty overlaps with medicine.