Advocacy News

Granite State ophthalmologists stayed engaged to successfully defend patient safety from relentless efforts to pass an aggressive bill that would have made New Hampshire the first New England state authorizing optometrists to perform eye surgery, making it the ninth state this year to deliver a win for safe eye surgery.

Advocacy efforts in Minnesota and Missouri to protect patient safety were successful at blocking optometric scope of practice expansion bills from becoming law. These states represent ophthalmology's seventh and eighth wins for patient safety this year.

For the third time in five years, the Vermont Ophthalmological Society, with support from the Academy, defeated a bill that would have granted surgical authority to optometrists. This is the sixth time this year that ophthalmology has successfully defended patient safety and maintained high quality standards for surgical eye care.

We’re supporting physician candidates in several congressional races, including two with military service.

Hundreds of ophthalmologists met with members of Congress and their staff last week to build and strengthen the relationships crucial to the Academy’s advocacy efforts, while introducing a new generation of eye surgeons to the important work of engaging on behalf of their patients and profession.

Advocacy efforts to protect eye care patients in Kansas and Nebraska paid off with optometric scope of practice expansion bills in both states failing to receive votes before the close of their sessions.

An April fundraising effort responds to state and federal threats that weaken quality surgical eye care standards.

When the state’s legislative session ended on March 9, a proposal to expand optometric surgery and a proposal to mandate costly pediatric eye exams died in the respective committees without a vote, thanks to the tireless work of the West Virginia Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons to connect with and educate state legislators.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed House Bill 1099, legislature that will expand optometry’s scope of practice to include laser and scalpel surgery.

The Academy worked closely with the Utah Ophthalmology Society to inform lawmakers of the risks associated with optometrists performing laser eye surgery without proper medical education and clinical training.