Treating Glaucoma

[optogirl2010]

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I read somewhere that optometrists aren't license to treat glaucoma in several states, California being one of them. Why is this? Does this compromise the situation for patients and providers?

 

[rpie]

I believe that in all states, OD’s have Glaucoma Tx. As long as you have graduated after your states TPA laws passed, and the TPA law included glaucoma treatment, you should be fine. In some states, OD’s needed to go back a second time to get glaucoma Tx. This causes States like Calif. To require additional course work and Glaucoma preceptor ship with an OMD when Glaucoma was added to the scope of Optometry practice. Unfortunately there are many older OD’s that have no desire to treat glaucoma so there are different levels of TPA approved OD’s in some states.

 

[cpw]

Tx has two different kinds of license and you have to go through a certification class (30+ hours of lecture) and pass an exam to treat glaucoma. once you've done that you have to take a procedure sheet to an OMD and have her/him sign off on it.

In Florida, as long as you can pass their killer board... treat all the glaucoma you want.

It all comes down to what you're personally comfortable with .. not a matter of competency. Some of the older school docs don't feel comfortable with it so they don't do it. Many took the cert classes and are doing just fine.

 

[Richard_Hom]

I read somewhere that optometrists aren't license to treat glaucoma in several states, California being one of them. Why is this? Does this compromise the situation for patients and providers?

CA does "certify" OD's to treat POAG under some conditions. First they must take a 24 hour course and then co-manage 50 patients, each for 2 years. Then they can independently treat POAG. However, under the law, only 2 medications at a time can be used. A combinatin medication such as COSOPT counts as two.

Richard Hom, OD,FAAO
San Mateo, CA

 

[optogirl2010]

So how will this affect my clinical experience/education if I attend school in CA or TX? Will it even have any effect at all on my experience with glaucoma before I graduate with my OD?

 

[Richard_Hom]

So how will this affect my clinical experience/education if I attend school in CA or TX? Will it even have any effect at all on my experience with glaucoma before I graduate with my OD?

I would recommend that you attain clinical experience in several different environments. It's not whether you can treat or not treat. In your formative clinical years, you should seek a clinical experience where there is plentiful glaucoma clinical material. This is the arguement that many ophthalmologists have about optometrists in general is that they don't see the "thousands" of patient encounters. In some respects this is a valid point.

NOTHING beats numbers of clinical encounters. There is no use going to a "wide open" state if you don't see glaucoma patients and cannot get the experience of senior expertise either from optometrists or ophthalmologists or both.

Seek also clinical experiences that expose you to the USE of advanced technology in clinical decision making. Unfortunately or fortunately, technology has assumed a central place in glaucoma care and it must be mastered.

Richard

 

[reconsider]

If you want to treat glaucoma work for an ophthalmologist or better yet become one. The problem most ODs have is they can't get on medical panels of managed care companies. So even if your state allows glaucoma therapy by an OD you may not be able to get paid for it. Speak to other optometrists in the state you plan on practicing in. For all of you pre opt students take off the rose colored glasses.

I would recommend that you attain clinical experience in several different environments. It's not whether you can treat or not treat. In your formative clinical years, you should seek a clinical experience where there is plentiful glaucoma clinical material. This is the arguement that many ophthalmologists have about optometrists in general is that they don't see the "thousands" of patient encounters. In some respects this is a valid point.

NOTHING beats numbers of clinical encounters. There is no use going to a "wide open" state if you don't see glaucoma patients and cannot get the experience of senior expertise either from optometrists or ophthalmologists or both.

Seek also clinical experiences that expose you to the USE of advanced technology in clinical decision making. Unfortunately or fortunately, technology has assumed a central place in glaucoma care and it must be mastered.

Richard

 

[Ben Chudner]

If you want to treat glaucoma work for an ophthalmologist or better yet become one. The problem most ODs have is they can't get on medical panels of managed care companies. So even if your state allows glaucoma therapy by an OD you may not be able to get paid for it. Speak to other optometrists in the state you plan on practicing in. For all of you pre opt students take off the rose colored glasses.

This in not true in all states. There are several states (if not most, I don't know the stats) where OD's have no problem getting onto panels and get paid the exact same as OMD's. You have to do your homework.

 

[rpie]

If you want to treat glaucoma work for an ophthalmologist or better yet become one. The problem most ODs have is they can't get on medical panels of managed care companies. So even if your state allows glaucoma therapy by an OD you may not be able to get paid for it. Speak to other optometrists in the state you plan on practicing in. For all of you pre opt students take off the rose colored glasses.

Oh gosh, another KHE