Out of concern for the health and the sight of citizens of Virginia, I am asking you to recognize that the proposed regulation as written is dangerous. 

Laser surgery, even though it is performed with a laser and a not a scalpel, is still SURGERY. Surgery should only be performed by practitioners who have been properly trained. Proper training consists of both didactics and also live, proctored training involving a real patient. 

We would never be OK allowing a loved one to have a procedure performed by someone who had only participated in a course with a model eye and no supervision. 

In medical school, we have the privilege of learning through interacting with thousands of patients. Through those years of experience, we learn that not everyone benefits from surgery. With every encounter comes a unique evaluation of the risks and benefits of surgery. 

This regulation simply does not do enough to protect patients. Just because other states allow these procedures to be performed by optometrists does not mean that Virginia has to also. The citizens of Virginia deserve better. 

Please protect them.