While optometrists play a vital role in eye care, it is inappropriate to allow these providers without medical or surgical training to perform laser eye surgery. They lack the extensive training, including diagnosis and management of systemic medical conditions, and are not equipped to manage any complication that may arise with these procedures.

I would not recommend any of my family members see a provider who has simply acquired a certification to perform a surgical procedure and has never been supervised in their training on real people. Additionally, it is not ethical to perform surgical procedures on patients for which you cannot manage potential complications, as is the clear case for optometrists. The delay in care and risk of blindness that would occur if a complication were to arise is simply too great.

Loss of vision destroys a patient's quality of life. Who would you choose to perform laser on YOUR eyes, an optometrist with a certification and no surgical background or an ophthalmologist with residency training and skills to handle each case with nuance?

I have already seen many patients with significant eye disease who were referred by optometrists to ophthalmologists too late. Please don't take advantage of our patients' lack of awareness to further Optometry's misguided agenda to perform procedures they are not equipped to handle.