Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Optometry
 
chapter
Regulations of the Virginia Board of Optometry [18 VAC 105 ‑ 20]
Action Regulations for laser surgery certifications
Stage Proposed
Comment Period Ended on 10/25/2024
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10/25/24  8:12 pm
Commenter: Fadee Bittar, SEEN Family EyeCare

Support in-office lasers by doctors of optometry
 

I fully Support the draft regulations as presented without any changes. As doctors of Optometry, we are educated, trained and certified to perform the procedures outlined in the regulations.  More than 146,000 procedures have been performed by optometrists across the country. Optometrists train for nearly 10,000 hours to learn how to diagnose and treat glaucoma, cataracts and other diseases. And lasers are essential for the treatment of such diseases. Virginia has almost 2X more optometrists than ophthalmologists, making access to these procedures less burdensome to the public.  I believe All optometrists must be certified in laser procedures before performing them on patients. To be certified, they must have extensive clinical experience, complete hands-on training and pass a national certification exam. It is vital that you support the draft regulations for laser procedures in the field of optometry in the great state of Virginia. Thank you for your time. 

CommentID: 228499