In the bill, optometrists would be able to perform the laser procedures when working in conjunction with an ophthalmologist licensed in West Virginia and to provide injections that did not puncture the eyeball, according to the report.
Committee chairman Ed Bowman (D-Hancock) said the committee contacted more than a dozen optometry schools and received input from both optometrists and ophthalmologists before drafting the current bill. Sen. Bowman said that the committee learned that optometrists were trained in providing injections in school and had to be accredited, according to the report.
Ophthalmologists who oppose the bill argue that optometrists are not adequately trained in surgical procedures and injections and broadening the scope of their practice could put patients at risk, according to the report.
Read the Daily Mail’s report about optometrists’ scope of practice.
