I just heard about this new proposal for optometrists requesting laser surgery privileges. First, in Virginia there are sufficiently trained ophthalmologist eye surgeons to meet our population's need for laser surgery. Where is the unmet need that would require us to train more ophthalmic laser surgeons in Virginia particularly providers who do not have equivalent surgical experience in their training as ophthalmologists?
Second, ophthalmic laser surgery is surgery with inherent risks of complications. I can speak as an ophthalmologist retina surgeon performing retinal lasers daily that even in experienced hands ophthalmic lasers can cause unintended tissue damage, intraocular hemorrhage, and vision loss. An even more common problematic outcome is that the laser surgery is not successful. Retinal detachments occur and progress to cause vision loss even after correctly applied preventative laser retinopexy. Today in fact two weeks after a prophylactic retinal laser of retinal breaks a patient of mine presented with a macula threatening retinal detachment that I took to the operating room for urgent retinal detachment repair. 
There is a common sense patient safety issue here for our fellow Virginians that appears to be overlooked. Ophthalmic laser surgery indications, technique, risks, and follow up are so nuanced that it should be performed by eye surgeon ophthalmologists that have the thousands of hours of hospital based 3 year residency training. I respect and receive routine eye exams from my optometrist friends and colleagues and will continue to do so. I have not heard a valid argument from my optometrist colleagues on why there is a patient need for optometrists to perform laser surgery especially in light of the unequivalent training in surgery between ophthalmologists and optometrists. Why would we intentionally put patients at risk of less successful outcomes from a lower tier of surgical training when there is not a pressing need?