To Whom It  May Concern

I am writing to you as a concerned physican about allowing optometrists performing eye surgery without the same training as eye surgeons/ophthalmologists. Ophthalmologists go through 4 years of medicinal school and additional 4 years of residency before being able to practice independently. The amount of patient care hours and supervised surgeries on real people cannot be compared to the suggested training that would allow optometrists to perform laser surgery. Allowing optometrists to perform laser surgery is very much a patient safety issue and I oppose this proposed regulatory action.  Please ensure that optometrists are required to perform the same laser training that ophthalmologists are required, including live proctored cases, prior to being allowed to operate on our eyes.