Would you go to Lens Crafters to get your lid lac repaired?

[dantt]

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/108/Amend/SA0863.pdf

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[orbitsurgMD]

Nah, Walmart.

 

[Visionary]

What's really interesting about this is that Paul Sternberg, the Past President of the AAO, is chairman at Vanderbilt and is very active politically in TN. Very surprised this went through. Just goes to show that money talks.

 

[rocketbooster]

Is this really a big deal? It just allows them to inject local anesthesia. They could already do the procedure part it says. It only makes sense to be allowed to give pts adequate pain control if the law already let's them do the procedure.

I'm more concerned with optometrists being allowed to do those small procedures. How long has that been allowed? In many states?

 

[IheartRETINA]

Is this really a big deal? It just allows them to inject local anesthesia. They could already do the procedure part it says. It only makes sense to be allowed to give pts adequate pain control if the law already let's them do the procedure.

I'm more concerned with optometrists being allowed to do those small procedures. How long has that been allowed? In many states?

This bill is laughable. I'm honestly not sure what it does for optoms other than feed some ego driven hubris that a small minority has.

I'm going to bet that all the pseuduosurgical bills will blow up in their faces in the long run. I feel bad for all the many optoms who don't support it.

 

[JWSIV]

Not laughable at all
"We've been doing surgery around the eye for years without any complications. With the proper training, we can do surgery on the eye as well."
Sounds ridiculous to an ophthalmologist, but not so much to some naive state legislator.
If you make a grab for all surgical privileges at once, you'll get shut down, but if you slowly chip away at it, eventually the wall comes down.
Why do you think some of these bills that are introduced give full power to determine surgical scope to the state optometric board?

 

[IheartRETINA]

Not laughable at all
"We've been doing surgery around the eye for years without any complications. With the proper training, we can do surgery on the eye as well."
Sounds ridiculous to an ophthalmologist, but not so much to some naive state legislator.
If you make a grab for all surgical privileges at once, you'll get shut down, but if you slowly chip away at it, eventually the wall comes down.
Why do you think some of these bills that are introduced give full power to determine surgical scope to the state optometric board?

I'm aware of what the ultimate goals are. There is no niche for them to fill here. As is I think the excessive use of optoms is likely not cost effective-- without doubt they will try to argue it is but I really doubt so in many cases, especially with procedures. I think contributing to scope of practice is very important and being vocal about the issue is extremely important.

Still, this bill is a joke and I think in the end optoms are going to make out like the rxp Psychologists who spent all of their time trying to rx psychotropics but who now find themselves using the same therapy codes as social workers.

 

[dantt]

What's really interesting about this is that Paul Sternberg, the Past President of the AAO, is chairman at Vanderbilt and is very active politically in TN. Very surprised this went through. Just goes to show that money talks.

I was told by some involved in the process the optometrists originally presented 6 pages of procedures they believed they should be allowed to perform including needling blebs.

 

[DrZeke]

I was told by some involved in the process the optometrists originally presented 6 pages of procedures they believed they should be allowed to perform including needling blebs.

Needling blebs?? I'm sorry, but that's insane.